November 9, 2002

Logfile from Malakai

Eclipse puts on his dragon medallion.

[OOC] Rade says, "so, we're in the doorway of doom"

[OOC] Typheous says, "With an evil ring."

You say, "When last we left Hell's Errand Children, they had just learned, to their horror, that Plax has disappeared, leaving only the ring given him by Morgana behind. Well, most of the cabal learns this. Tsharing is still blind and probably in need of some exposition. *violent nudge*"

[OOC] Rade says, "rofl"

[OOC] Psyche says, "So do I catch up to the party before or after they get the door open?"

Tsharing stands there. "I think I have missed a lot of this. Who was that woman and can I not hear anyone inside the room that was locked?"

[OOC] You say, "For dramatic purposes, I'm gonna say you're there."

Typheous frowns, kneeling beside the ring on the floor. "All that's here is a ring, Tsharing. Plax is gone..."

Tsharing says, "Is the window open?"

Rade steps just inside the door, eyes looking about with a bit of worry. "Where could he have gone? Did he sneak out at night?"

Psyche frowns, looking around the room for anything unusual.

You say, "The ring is silver with a small, poorly cut garnet. The window is closed and shuttered to keep out the winter chill."

Typheous look sup to Rade. "He's not the type to sneak out at night, I would think. At least, he never came out with Alex and myself."

Eclipse [to Psyche]: Give me a Per + Investigation, dif 6.

Tsharing says, "Alex?"

[Roll]: Psyche rolled Perception (3) and Investigation (0) (3d10): 6, 7, 10 ** 3 successes (diff 6) **

Typheous chuckles standing again. "My roommate and companion in crime."

[OOC] Psyche should buy some Investigation eventually. That was on my list.

Rade bites her lip, looking down at halda. "Has anyone else been in here?"

Tsharing says, "What were you talking to that woman about?"

Psyche has received your page: "The bed is still made, so Plax hasn't slept in it recently. His bow and arrows are here, as well, so it doesn't seem likely he left the academy for wilder regions. He also left behind his money pouch, so Wyzdin is also unlikely. The ring looks like it was dropped at the center of an indentation near the edge of the bed where Plax might have been sitting."

[OOC] Typheous says, "Who was that to, Tshar?"

[OOC] Tsharing says, "Psyche. She was the one talking to her, I think?"

[OOC] Psyche says, "Talking to Mer? Oh..."

(remotely) Typheous has a few dots in Investigation, mind if I roll as well?

Eclipse [to Rade]: Halda sniffs the air and gives the lupine equivalent of a shrug. There are probably too many people smells in here. She could pick out a particular person's scent from the others, but she can't tell whether one of the many scents belongs to an unauthorized person.

Typheous has received your page: "Go for it. Per + Investigation, dif 6"

Psyche moves around the room, thoughtfully. . o O ( The bed is made. His bow is here. His money pouch is still here...and someone was sitting right where that ring is. ) "I was trying to convince her not to fuck up her life." A beat. "This is suspicious..."

[Roll]: Typheous rolled Perception (3) and invetigation (0) (3d10): 8, 2, 3 ** 1 success (diff 6) **

[Roll]: Typheous rolled Investigation (2) (2d10): 2, 5 No diff given.

[OOC] Typheous says, "1... and I need to learn to spell."

Tsharing says, "A person has vanished from a locked room. That should go without saying? Is he concealing himself as part of a joke, say?"

Rade looks around again, sighing at Halda's answer. "He's not here, she'd have smelled him...maybe he told someone where he was going?"

Typheous has received your page: "The ring is definitely the one Morgana gave Plax, and it looked like it fell where he was sitting near the edge of the bed, just as Psyche said."

Psyche glances at Tsharing. "Leaving behind his money, his weapon, a perfectly-made bed...and..." A beat. "There's a dent here, right where the ring was, as if someone was sitting here and dropped it as they vanished."

Typheous frowns, scanning the room. "Perhaps the ring...."

[OOC] You say, "Ever see Mom and Dad Save the World? Remember the light grenade?"

Rade says, "Is the ring magic? Couldn't he have just...stood up?""

Tsharing says, "We should take that to the tutors and see what it does, unless either of you can divine such information?"

[OOC] You say, "It's a grenade-shaped object with the words "Pick Me Up" on the side. You pick it up, and you're vaporized in a flash of light, leaving the grenade behind. A really stupid bunch of people lost an entire platoon to one. They just couldn't resist picking it up..."

[OOC] Rade laughs

Typheous stares down at the ring. "I could possibly divine some, but not necessarily all that it could do."

[OOC] Rade says, "that's like the world's stupidest gun...you fire it, it travels all the way around the planet and hits you."

Rade says, "Maybe we could take it to a teacher..."

Tsharing says, "Then let's do so."

Rade looks around at the rest of the group, waiting for someone -else- to pick it up first.

Psyche nods, reaching out for the ring with a blue silk handkerchief.

Eclipse [to Psyche]: Per + Awareness, dif 9. No botch.

Typheous continues studying the room. "This is most perplexing...." He glances to the ring. "Who shall we bring it to?"

[Roll]: Psyche rolled Perception (3) and Awareness (2) (5d10): 6, 3, 10, 7, 6 ** 1 success (diff 9) **

[OOC] Psyche says, "1."

[OOC] Rade says, "hmmm...who's the campus artificier? :)"

Psyche has received your page: "The ring has an almost overpowering mix of Resonances. You get a whiff of Rallying and a fairly strong Deceptive Resonance."

Psyche pages: "Is there an Effect to detect them more clearly, or does that require Prime?""

Psyche murmurs, as if to herself: "More Resonances than...." She shakes her head. . o O ( Rallying. Deceptive. .... )

Typheous frowns, eyes following the ring . o O ( Odd.... Perhaps.... No, that's me being paranoid. )

[OOC] You say, "In which sense? There is no Artificer. Stephen Bukwarm, Orpheus Nilrem, and Dina Ithil have the most knowledge of magical devices at the academy."

Psyche . o O ( What is it? )

Psyche has received your page: "Detecting Resonance requires Mind 1."

[OOC] Rade says, "ahh, well that simplifies things."

Psyche pages: "That I have. What's the difficulty?"

Rade says quietly. "My mistriss may be able to help...we should take it to her."

Psyche has received your page: "Standard perception Effect."

Typheous . o O ( Let's get it looked at, as I don't want to jump to conclusions... and I would think someone would notice a magic that powerful. )

[OOC] Rade sighs at spelling ability

Tsharing says, "All right. Who is she?"

Psyche murmurs softly. "Just a moment..." She sounds fascinated, for once not angry, unhooking the crystal from around her neck.

Psyche pages: "So w/Mind focus of the crystal is diff 3...right?"

[OOC] Rade says, "tsharing has met Dina :)"

[OOC] Rade says, "sorry,"

Psyche has received your page: "Yes."

[Roll]: Psyche rolled Arete (2d10): 4, 6 ** 2 successes (diff 3) **

[Roll]: Psyche rolled Arete (2d10): 2, 3 ** 1 success (diff 3) **

[Roll]: Psyche rolled Arete (2d10): 9, 4 ** 2 successes (diff 3) **

Typheous nods to Rade. "Yes, shall we go? Or is there more here?" . o O ( Think of something? )

Psyche pages: "5 accumulated, trying to ignore the 2 I've already noted."

[OOC] Tsharing says, "OK"

[OOC] Rade says, "at least I think, first night, the ant farm :)"

Psyche lifts the crystal, spinning it, staring -through- it at the ring. "There's too much on this for it to not be magical...but how many different hands have touched it, and is this the silver noose?" She's talking to herself, from her tone.

Rade nods gently at Typheous, eyes glancing over to Psyche a bit worriedly. "We can....as soon as she finishes...whatever she's doing..."

Tsharing says, "Looking for information, it seems."

Psyche has received your page: "The Rallying Resonance and the Deceptive Resonance are most obvious, to the point where they are either connected to a mage using quite a bit of magic on the ring or the ring has been exposed to natural emotions of that kind for a decade or more. Love and Gift-Giving are quite strong, and there is a whiff of Larceny, as well. The rest are too subtle to discern with any accuracy, though one of them might be Plax's Intriguing Resonance."

[OOC] You say, "Yes. Dina is the one with the ant farm."

Rade nods again, folding her hands primly in front of her. "Okay..."

Typheous takes a step closer to Psyche, looking at the ring. "Perhaps... Can you divine any more from the ring or shall we head out?"

Typheous . o O ( Hmm... maybe I'm not paranoid... )

Psyche finally lowers the crystal, after letting it spin to a stop, taking a deep breath. "Don't touch me." It's snapped with an almost offhanded ease as Typheous moves more closely to her. . o O ( You're not. ) Taking a step away from Typheous, she speaks as she refastens the ring around her neck. "Rallying and Deceptive - either heavily enchanted or laid on from over a decade of emotional involvement." A beat. "And then Love, and Gift-Giving...and Larceny. Maybe a bit of Plax himself on there...and there's still more." She folds the cloth around the ring. "Let's take it to Dina."

Tsharing goes to Dina's place.

[Roll]: Eclipse rolled dice (2d10): 4, 9 No diff given.

Typheous goes as well.

[OOC] Psyche says, "refastens the CRYSTAL."

Psyche goes, on the other end of the group from Typheous.

You say, "You are lucky enough to catch Dina while she is mending the wing of an owl. "Rade. What brings you here?""

Tsharing says, "We would like you to tell us the fuction of an item."

Rade steps forward, head bowing appropriatly, her voice humble. "Mistress...we have come to ask your advice about an object we found."

Dina, "What item is that? Come in."

Typheous smiles, bowing his head slightly. "Thank you, Professor." He goes in.

Dina, "Halda digging up artifacts from before the Ultimatum War or something?"

Psyche neither bows nor acts in the least bit humble, stepping in and holding out the cloth-wrapped ring. "There are more Resonances on it than I can decipher."

Tsharing says, "It may be involved with the dissapearance of a colleague."

Dina, "The disappearance of a colleague? Sounds pretty serious."

Rade frowns a bit at Psyche, but says nothing of it. "He's been gone a while...we don't know where he is, and we found this in his room."

Typheous smiles warmly to Dina. "You have not seen Plax around recently, have you?"

You say, "She fills a bowl with crystal clear water and sets it on the table. "I'm afraid I haven't. I've been wandering the woods. I only came back for a few hours to tend my patients. Drop the ring in the bowl, please.""

Psyche turns the cloth over, doing as she's asked, then stepping back to watch Dina with sharp eyes, as if attempting to dissect her every move.

Rade makes sure she stays out of the way, though her eyes are always on Dina, watching her with a mixture of awe and curiosity.

You say, "When the ripples fade, colors begin to bleed out of the ring and into the water as though it were filled with colored inks."

Typheous's eyes are on the ring, watching it curiously. . o O ( Fascinating.... But how would... )

[OOC] You say, "Pause for minute. Phone."

Psyche . o O ( Magic works differently for each. Stay away from me. )

Tsharing says, "It looks chaotic."

Rade pages: "have I seen dina do this before? Would I have any clue? :)"

Rade has received your page: "Yes. It is her scrying bowl. She is examining the past or the future of a remote location."

Typheous . o O ( Why do you insist on me being away from you? I'm not planning on jumping you... )

Rade watches her mistress in silence, eyes shifting to the bowl and the colors, but keeping a respectful distance

Dina, "This is certainly interesting. Psyche, Plax, and two other mages have cast spells on it within the last two months. Psyche's was the most recent, Plax the second most recent. I don't recognize the Resonance of the second oldest, but the first spell was cast by Nod Berlion. I can't believe he would be foolish enough to Consecrate an item to himself and let it fall into someone else's hands. I shall have to speak to him about the risks of sympathetic magic."

Typheous frowns. "Can you tell what any of the spells did?"

Tsharing says, "Especially Plax's?"

Psyche takes a step away from Typheous. . o O ( You're being too nice, and I'm not fond of the idea of accidentally touching you. Now fuck off. I'm trying to listen to her. )

Typheous . o O ( Fine, I'll go back to making snide comments and vague innuendos at you if you don't like nice.... )

Psyche scowls over at Typheous, eyes flashing, aura turning suddenly much colder and spanning a much larger region. "Mine was to do much what she just did, only not as well. That should settle that one."

Dina, "Psyche and Plax were simply examining the ring, I think. Nod Consecrated it to himself. Our mystery mage has certainly played with it the most. First a mutation of the ring from its original form, next a few times using the ring as a scrying eye, and most recently, using a powerful spell to capture whoever puts it on. This last has been expended very recently, so the ring is no longer a danger to others.

Tsharing says, "We should talk to Nod then. Plainly, he considered this important."

[OOC] Tsharing says, "If any of the tutors have Time 2, we can get them to just see directly what happened...."

Rade blinks. "Expended recently? Plax could be.....in there?"

Typheous's face darkens. "My suspiscion was correct..."

[OOC] Rade says, "your drowning him!"

You say, "Dina removes the ring. The water immediately returns to crystal clarity. She opens her mouth as though to object, but then nods to herself and hands the ring back to Psyche. "Seems like a sound course of action.""

Psyche says, "That would explain...the dent, and everything still being in his room." She wraps the ring in the cloth and tucks it into her pouch. "Nod it is, then."

Dina, "The ring was just the method of execution, not the afterlife itself. Plax is not here at the academy. He has been taken...elsewhere, though the place has been obscured from view."

Tsharing says, "Who would design such a device?"

Psyche half-closes her eyes, stepping back.

Psyche pages: "Thinking back in my mind, trying to remember anything I know or have heard about Nod and Plax. Not using magical means yet, just analysing the situation."

Typheous frowns at the ring. "Who indeed... shall we go and see Nod then?"

Dina shrugs, "I'm not certain. Did Plax have a powerful enemy? I did not speak to him often."

[OOC] Typheous says, "Did we know if he did or not?"

Rade shakes her head. "None he ever spoke of to me...maybe this wasn't meant for him.." She bows her head. "Thank you mistress..."

Psyche has received your page: "Nod and Plax are the heirs of two noble families that have been rivals for a couple decades, now. At the dance, they both seemed to agree to call a truce between the clans as soon as they could."

Tsharing says, "May I ask a question?"

Eclipse [to Typheous]: At the dance, Nod and Plax seemed to agree to call a truce between their rival clans as soon as they could. It could be connected.

Dina, "Of course."

Psyche pages: "Didn't Plax get that ring in Etiquette class? Did Psyche notice that at all?"

Tsharing says, "Did the resonance of the creator....seem demonic to you, at all?"

Psyche has received your page: "Yes."

Psyche pages: "Overhear enough of the conversation to know how he got the ring?"

Psyche . o O ( They seemed to be calling a truce at the dance, Plax and Nod...their families have been rivals for longer than I've been alive... )

Typheous slowly begins to look lost in thought. . o O ( And there is Deception on the ring... but who's being deceived? )

Psyche . o O ( Us? Plax? Nod? Someone else? )

Dina, "Not demonic, but dangerously tainted, almost as though sheh is trying to cheat the balance of life and death. Such a feat is not possible, though, and innocent people will suffer for hes hubris."

Psyche has received your page: "Yes."

Typheous . o O ( Exactly.... )

Psyche's voice is soft, thoughtful. "Morgana gave Plax that ring..."

Tsharing says, "Who is she?"

Psyche . o O ( Remember? In class? From a secret admirer. )

Typheous . o O ( Yes.... Hmmm.... )

(remotely) Psyche makes her Metagaming roll :)

Psyche says, "She was in our Etiquette class. She gave it to him, saying it was from a secret admirer..."

Rade tilts her head, "No one here would do something like that...would they?"

Tsharing says, "It would seem someone has."

Dina, "Considering its wild mix of Resonances, that ring must certainly have an interesting history. If the Deceptive Resonance is our mystery mage's, you might not be able to unravel this mystery at all. Whoever it is has obscured hemself to spatial and temporal detection."

[OOC] You say, "That's a challenge, not a discouragement from your GM."

Typheous pull himself out of his thought trance. "Perhaps we should visit Nod and see what he might know."

[OOC] Typheous chuckles.

Tsharing says, "Yes. Find out why he would want to soul-mark it."

[OOC] Typheous votes for finding a volcano to chuck the ring into.

[OOC] Tsharing says, "If you do that, Gollum's going to bite your finger off."

[OOC] You say, "Are we back to burning the clues?"

[OOC] Typheous grins.

[OOC] You say, "Going to Nod's place, then?"

[OOC] Psyche says, "Think so."

Typheous heads to Nod's place.

[OOC] Rade says, "woot! Burn the clues, burn the clues!"

Rade bows to her mistress, smiling a bit and thanking her again, before taking her leave to follow the group.

You say, "Nod's door is closed, and you can hear muffled voices conversing inside - one male, one female."

Tsharing knocks politely.

You say, "There is a brief pause before Nod opens the door. You see a worried-looking Lyka Plant sitting on a wooden stool inside."

Tsharing says, "We have a question about a ring."

Psyche keeps the ring securely in her pocket.

You say, "Nod blinks. "Come in. Most of you will have to sit on the floor, I'm afraid. Have any of you seen Plax in the last couple days?""

Typheous glances to Lyka, his eyebrow rising slightly, his music growing slightly suspisious, but only slighlty. . o O ( No... she looks too worried... )

Rade speaks up softly. "That's part of why we're here..."

Tsharing sits on the floor.

You say, "Nod closes the door behind you."

Psyche steps in, leaning against a wall, not bothering to sit down. She studies both Lyka and Nod carefully. "No. I take it you haven't either. When was the last time -you- saw him?" It sounds like an accusation.

[OOC] You say, "Welcome to the spider's web..."

Typheous leaves against the wall, slightly closer than Psyche would probably really like. . o O ( Careful... if he is involved, I'd like to chat with him a bit longer than a few words. )

Nod, "The night after Winterfest. We spoke at some length about personal concerns."

Rade takes a seat on the floor without any reservation, patting the spot next to her for Halda. "There was something wrong?"

Nod shrugs, "Not really. It was just a friendly conversation. Neither of us wants to perpetuate our families' feud."

Tsharing says, "What was this feud about, if I may ask?"

Typheous leans closer to Lyka and speaks softly to her. "Are you all right, Lyka? I should have thought to check on how you were doing when I learned Plax could not be found."

Nod, "It's quite ridiculous. In essence, it boils down to both our families think they have the superior vision for leading Theusleh and the people of the surrounding region. They disagree hotly on a few subjects, so a running feud has cropped up in the last couple decades."

Psyche scoots slightly away from Typheous, glaring at him but doing little else for the moment.

Lyka, "I'm worried about Plax, but otherwise fine. I had a vision that he was hanging in a noose made of silver rope. I just want to find him and make sure he's okay."

Tsharing says, "Psyche, you mentioned a noose too."

Typheous frowns. . o O ( That's the second mention of a noose...) "Anything else in your vision?"

Nod, "Violence has never entered into it, that I know of, but neither has compromise."

Lyka, "No, just the silver noose in a brief dream the night after Winterfest. I tried to do a full divination when I found out Plax was missing, but I couldn't find out anything. I couldn't even bring forth the vision of the silver noose, again.

Psyche nods her head slightly. "Be more worried about the eagle trapped by the silver noose, Psyche..." she says quietly.

Tsharing says, "Are you sure it was an eagle?"

Typheous nods slowly, patting Lyka on her back. "If you need someone to talk to, Lyka, I'd be glad to listen." His music seems to drift as he thinks through a series of styles. . o O ( The ring is the noose... that might explain the deception.. but what about the Rallying... unless...)

Rade bites her lip, running a hand through halda's fur. "He wouldn't have left to talk to his family would he?"

Nod shrugs, "Maybe. Theusleh is a couple days' journey away. Visiting home would mean skipping classes. I think he would have told someone if he meant to take a brief holiday."

Psyche's voice is harder than it needs to be. "I am certain, Tsharing."

Tsharing says, "Good."

Typheous frowns. "I'm not convinced that he left willingly, however. He left too many things behind."

[Roll]: Typheous rolled int (0) and Investigation (2) (2d10): 5, 5 No diff given.

[Roll]: Typheous rolled Intelligence (2) (2d10): 2, 10 No diff given.

Rade says, "Well then....who has a reason to take him away?"

Typheous . o O ( And there's still that Rallying resonance on the ring... )

Nod, "I don't know. My family might benefit from his disappearance, but none of them would stoop so low. It's a political rivalry, nothing more."

Psyche leans her head back against the wall, tuning out the others except for a part of her mind, trying to work through the vision Alex had spoken and what its implications are. (any clues? )

[OOC] Psyche shoots for a Metagaming roll again :P_

[OOC] Tsharing says, "BRB"

Typheous turns to study Nod with his eye, his music sounding curious. "What gains would your family have for his disappearence, Nod?"

Psyche has received your page: "Given that Plax's nickname is "Eagle", it is almost a sure bet that he is the eagle in the silver noose. The rest of it doesn't seem to connect with anything that you can think of. Stupid, stupid enigmatic prophetic visions..."

Psyche . o O ( Maybe Nod can shed some light on the vision... )

Typheous . o O ( Perhaps.... )

Nod, "Nothing, yet. Plax is the only heir, though. Unless his father names another heir before he dies, the Terz family will cease to be. The Berlions, my family, would no longer have any notable political rivals, and thus would gain nearly absolute political control."

Typheous's eye darkens, his music matching his face. "And would there be any one who might try something like this to acheive that end?"

Tsharing says, "Who would the fortune go to? I imagine few people would let such wealth simply vanish."

Nod, "Of course, it is only a matter of time before I inherit my father's position, and I would see to it that authority isn't abused, encouraging competition and compromise within Theusleh. But the feud is not a bloody one. No one in my family or his would kidnap Plax to gain an upper hand in the political struggle."

Psyche interrupts without opening her eyes. "A few other things...do they mean anything to either of you? Iron bands. Sanguinary power. An ocean enraged. A land of fire and brass, of steel and suffering, of claw and copper."

Rade blinks, looking over at Psyche with a confused look.

Nod, "Sounds like one of Master Spinwind's riddles. I'm not very good at those. I know Druanae revere blood magic rather highly. Perhaps that could be the 'sanguinary power'?"

[OOC] Rade blinks

Rade pages: "fill me in on blood magic :)"

Tsharing says, "Such symbolism is common to many Traditions. And beyond."

[OOC] Typheous says, "What do we know about blood magic?"

Rade has received your page: "Blood is often used to carry Quintessence. The reason the Prime 1 rote Bond of Blood is named what it is is because the mage draws some of hes own life essence out in the form of Quintessence by drawing hes own blood."

Eclipse [to Typheous]: Blood is often used as a way of transfering Quintessence, thus the name of the rote Bond of Blood.

[OOC] Typheous says, "Ahh, ok, so there's no taboo magic using lots of blood or something like that... "

Rade nods quietly at Tsharing's words. "Unless they mean something else. Non magical..."

Eclipse [to Typheous]: Nope.

Tsharing says, "Blood may simply symbolise death."

Psyche sighs. "The thing that brought Typheous and I back to campus was a vision...or at least a prophesy of some kind. "I think you should be more worried about the eagle trapped by the silver noose, Psyche. Iron bands ensnare, wielded by corpse-cold hands. The sanguinary power will spread before the flood. There is no ground high enough to escape the waters of an ocean enraged. Strike the stone with your rod, and a path will open through the sea to a new land - a land of fire and brass, of steel and suffering, of claw and copper. But only when the coin is flawless gold will the door open for you."

Typheous shifts, leaning against the wall again. "So what do we do? Skip town and class or just wait and see if anything shows up."

[OOC] You say, "Everyone who has Cosmology or Occult, roll me an Int + Cosmology/Occult, dif 6."

[Roll]: Tsharing rolled dice (2d10): 1, 7 No diff given.

[OOC] Psyche sighs.

[Roll]: Tsharing rolled Past Lives (5) and Lives (0) (5d10): 7, 8, 5, 6, 6 ** 1 success (diff 8) **

[Roll]: Tsharing rolled Intelligence (2) and Occult (2) (4d10): 3, 10, 2, 4 ** 1 success (diff 6) **

[Roll]: Tsharing rolled dice (1d10): 9 No diff given.

[OOC] Tsharing says, "2"

Rade tilts her head. "An iron band?"

Tsharing has received your page: "You have a vague memory of waiting for the moon to rise over a sacred place. When the moon shone on the altar, a path opened before you, leading between the worlds to your destination. You remember it was called a Catwalk, because to walk it required the metaphysical surefootedness of a cat."

Psyche nods. "An iron band. I'm almost certain that Plax is the eagle, and that this..." she draws the ring from her pocket, holding it through the cloth quite securely, "is the silver noose."

Tsharing says, "There are places called cat-walks, that lead between worlds and need the skill of an animal to walk. I remember one that was activated when the moon fell on an altar."

Rade pages: "Hrm, I must have missed the description of the ring, it's silver?"

Tsharing has received your page: "Almost forgot. "flawless gold coin" could mean a full, yellow moon, which would be the month of Correspondence."

Typheous turns his eye to Tsharing. . o O ( Remember? ) "Perhaps that would be the striking the stone it spoke of?"

Tsharing has received your page: "Grr... The month of Spirit, even..."

Tsharing says, "It was in the time of Spirit."

Rade has received your page: "Yes. It is a silver band with a small, poorly cut garnet."

Tsharing says, "And it is possible."

[Roll]: Eclipse rolled dice (4d10): 2, 10, 2, 7 No diff given.

Psyche . o O ( Weird kid. Sees more than most non-blind people. )

Typheous . o O ( True.... Wonder if she'd be interested in going to the bar sometime )

Psyche . o O ( Godsdamned...you...*silent fuming* )

Psyche chills everyone again.

Nod nods, "I remember hearing stories of Catwalks. They open at Nodes at certain times of the year, leading to another Node."

[OOC] Psyche says, "No response to the ring?"

Eclipse [to Psyche]: None. Not even a glimmer of recognition. Dina told you it had been "mutated".

[OOC] Psyche just wanted to make sure.

Typheous frownsa bit. "Would he have taken one of these Catwalks? Or could someone have pulled him through one? Or is his room not close enough to the Node to do that?"

Typheous . o O ( What? )

Rade blinks. "And how would he know how to get through one?"

Tsharing says, "He could have read books."

Psyche . o O ( Bars. Asshole. My head still hurts. )

Nod, "I think you have to be at the Node when the Catwalk opens to enter it.

Typheous . o O ( Oh, here I thought it was me thinking about womena again. )

Psyche says, "Nod...can I ask you a question...?"

Tsharing has received your page: "That and magic doesn't work in or through a Catwalk."

Psyche . o O ( Don't get me started. )

Typheous . o O ( So you'd rather me doing this than being nice to you? )

You say, "Nod nods."

Psyche holds the ring out to him. "Can you tell me why this ring was Consecrated to you?" So much for tact.

Psyche . o O ( Fuck off. *bristles* )

You say, "Nod starts. "That ring? I can't imagine why it would be Consecrated to me. The only ring I ever Consecrated was the one I made for Diedra before I left home.""

Typheous looks interested. "Who is Diedra?"

Tsharing says, "Look at it yourself. It seems to have your soulprint."

Psyche doesn't let go of the ring, but holds it out as if to let him see it

Nod, "My sweetheart. And the ring I gave her had a high-quality ruby, not a cheap garnet. The silver wasn't so tarnished, either."

Typheous frowns in thought. "Have you seen her since you were last at home?"

You say, "Nod goes to a small chest and removes a small rattle, which he shakes over the ring. He stares into space for several seconds, nods, and puts the rattle away. "Strange. It certainly has my mark, but this can't be the same ring.""

Rade says, "You've never enchanted anything similar?"

Rade says, "Except for the one ring?"

Nod, "I haven't seen her. She has other responsibilities. They must be keeping her exceptionally busy, since she hasn't written me since I got here."

[OOC] Tsharing says, "The one ring....or the One Ring?"

Psyche tucks the ring away. . o O ( From a secret admirer. And Dina said it had been mutated.... )

Typheous's face darkens further. . o O ( I fear for the girl's safety. )

Psyche . o O ( Likewise. )

Psyche says, "How certain are you of Diedra's devotion to you, Nod?"

Nod, "I didn't even have a chance to give the ring to her myself because she was busy and I didn't have a chance to see her before I had to leave. I gave it to my Uncle Caine to give to her with my love. The ring was the only thing I've ever Consecrated, and I only did it so Diedra could feel a part of me was with her even while I was away."

[OOC] Tsharing says, "Would he happen to have a lady friend called Lilith?"

[OOC] Rade says, "Oh lord"

Typheous lightens slightly. . o O ( Perhaps she is safe, just miffed. ) "You would not have a way to contact her, do you?"

Psyche . o O ( Or it never got to her. )

Typheous . o O ( Which is what I'm thinking.... )

Rade bites her lip, listening quietly. "Your uncle wouldn't have given it to anyone else would he?"

Nod, "I've sent her letters by courier every week since I've gotten here, but she hasn't responded. She must be extremely busy, what with winter setting in. People get sick more during the colder months."

Typheous nods slowly, thinking. "Perhaps..."

Nod, "Of course not. My uncle is a great man. He shares more than my father's face, after all. Their personalities are just as much mirrors of one another's."

Psyche lifts her shoulders. "I'm not convinced. How certain are you of her devotion, Nod? And of your uncle's trustworthiness?"

[OOC] Tsharing says, "Does Nod have any books, perchance?"

Nod, "I would trust both with my life. I have, in fact, by giving them access to an object I Consecrated, the Diedra could hardly use that against me, since she is not a mage."

Rade nods gently at Nod, smiling. "I understand...perhaps he thought it safely in her hands but it was not...if it were the only thing you've enchanted...it's possible this one has been altered."

[OOC] You say, ""though Diedra" even..."

Typheous studies Nod again. "Diedra is not a mage... but your uncle is?"

Tsharing says, "We detected something that strongly suggested that."

Psyche fingers the ring in her pocket. "This ring was given to Plax by Morgana - from a 'secret admirer'. Someone altered it between your Consecration and it falling into Plax's hands. Mutated it and used it for several other Effects. How did that happen, if they can both be trusted?"

Tsharing says, "What I don't understand is, why mutate it? Why not just make a completely new item? I suspect someone may want to frame you."

Nod, "Oh yes. Uncle Caine is as powerful mage as my father. He is a Druana, too, and as caring as any mage I've met. He was trying to find a way to keep the Fae from raiding the borders, last I knew. He's very humble about his work, though, and seldom goes into detail about his efforts."

[OOC] You say, "You can almost see the bubble of naivete around him, can't you?"

Typheous nods slowly. . o O ( Humble... or... ) "And would you recoginise the touch of his magic on an item?"

Nod, "Why would anyone want to frame me?"

Psyche . o O ( Druanae. Blood magic. )

Rade says, "It might be an easy excuse to hurt Plax."

Typheous . o O ( Curiouser and curiouser.... )

Tsharing says, "The powerful have enemies, even those who do not deserve them."

Nod, "Of course."

Nod, "What is the Resonance?"

From Psyche: [Private Roll]: Psyche rolled Willpower (8) (8d10): 8, 3, 2, 4, 7, 8, 4, 5 ** 2 successes (diff 8) **

Typheous glances to Psyche. "It is mixed with a few others, but Psyche do you remember the Resonance?"

Psyche hesitates briefly. "Rallying, if my guess is correct." . o O ( And deceiving... )

You say, "Nod blushes slightly. "Rallying would be my Resonance. Maybe someone stole the ring from Diedra and, as you say, mutated it. I can't imagine who would do such a thing, though.""

[OOC] You say, "What was the last thing you saw?"

Psyche purses her lips. "Then it's one of the more subtle ones. Dina didn't tell us -what- they were." . o O ( Deceiving was as strong as Rallying. )

Typheous nods again. "And just out of curiosity, what is your uncle's?"

[OOC] Tsharing says, "Nod talking about his Resonance."

Nod, "Well, his Avatar is something of a trickster, so he has a Deceiving Resonance."

Rade raises an eyebrow.

[OOC] You say, "I don't tink you missed anything, then."

Typheous seems to consider this. . o O ( His avatar, huh? And I thought some girls I know are naive.. )

Psyche's brows both lift. "That Resonance was as strong as the Rallying one on the ring...."

Psyche . o O ( Fuck. He's positively daft. )

Tsharing says, "I find it curious, a trickster who does not hide the telltale signs of his nature."

Nod blinks, "Are you saying my Uncle Caine kidnapped Plax?"

You say, "He laughs uncomfortably."

Psyche . o O ( Okay, that's the last fucking time I try to be diplomatic. Avoid making it sound like his fucking uncle's Deceiving, and find out that's exactly what the fuck he is. )

Rade bites her lip again. "Is it something he might do? If he thought he had good reason?"

Typheous shrugs. "Not necessarily, but he did leave quite a bit of himself on the ring, it seems."

Psyche says, "I'm saying that your uncle Caine's resonance is enchanting this ring as heavily as your own."

Tsharing says, "Did you lend it to him?"

Nod, "There must be lots of mages with Deceiving Resonances, right? One of them must have... Oh gods."

You say, "He slumps into a chair."

[OOC] You say, "Actually, he mentioned he gave it to Caine to give to Diedra."

Psyche says, "Keep talking, Nod. This is interesting."

Typheous takes a step closer to Nod, not at all offensively. "Would there be a reason your uncle would use your own ring to kidnap Plax and frame you?"

Nod, "I still can't believe Uncle Caine would do something like this. I mean, it's not like HE'LL be the one in charge of the Berlion family, not unless my father and I both die without heirs. Maybe he's just trying to force negotiations of some kind or give Plax a taste of Berlion hospitality or...or something."

Typheous frowns slightly. "Interesting..."

[Roll]: Typheous rolled Intelligence (2) and Intrigue (2) (4d10): 3, 1, 1, 10 No diff given.

[OOC] Typheous says, "Bah.."

Psyche pages: "Sinking back into analysis. Are there possible conclusions to draw knowing what I do now?"

(remotely) Psyche is trying hard to avoid metagaming while sticking to a 4 intelligence (Analytical) character.

Tsharing says, "Perhaps you could persaude him to speak with us so we can judge for ourselves?"

Rade takes a breath. "If he did...do anything...is there somewhere he might take Plax?"

Psyche has received your page: "It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out that Caine would gain nearly absolute political power if Plax, Nod, and Nod's father all disappeared/died in rapid succession. Framing Nod might have been an attempt to trick Plax or an effort to frame Plax for the theft of the ring in an effort to get one to kill the other."

Nod, "I could give you a letter of introduction, certainly. Do you think you could deliver a letter to Diedra for me, too? I think she deserves to know what happened, why I never said goodbye."

Tsharing says, "Of course."

Typheous chuckles softly. "And how far away would Caine's home be?"

Psyche's voice is almost expressionless. "So if you, your father, and Plax all disappear there's nobody but Caine to take control?: One down, two to go...and your Resonance on the ring that - as far as we can tell - is responsible for Plax's disappearance. The ring that you left for your sweetheart in Caine's hands. What do you mean, he shares your father's face?"

Psyche unfastens the crystal from around her neck, spinning it between her fingers as she speaks.

Nod, "He lives at a small manor in Theusleh. I think it's about twelve miles by road."

[OOC] Tsharing says, "What are you, a plot hint vending machine?"

Psyche pages: "Kicking in Calculator, focus generic Mind - diff 3."

[Roll]: Psyche rolled Arete (2d10): 2, 9 ** 1 success (diff 3) **

[Roll]: Psyche rolled Arete (2d10): 10, 5 ** 2 successes (diff 3) **

[Roll]: Psyche rolled Arete (2d10): 8, 4 ** 2 successes (diff 3) **

Nod, "Uncle Caine is my father's identical twin brother, younger than him by less than an hour."

Tsharing says, "Who is your father, then?"

Psyche pages: "2 into effect, 3 into duration."

[OOC] Tsharing says, "You get three guesses."

Typheous raises an eyebrow. "Identical twin..." . o O ( And the intrigue abounds.. )

[OOC] Psyche giggles at Tsharing.

Nod, "Esau a'

Psyche pages: "More for situational analysis so that she can think about probability of as many alternate scenarios as she can without having to concentrate on it all the time."

Nod "Esau a' Belle Terz."

[OOC] Typheous says, "Did he wear a lot a red and was he hairy?"

Psyche . o O ( Someone tried to frame Plax - or trick him - or both. )

[OOC] Typheous says, "Plax? Or Nod?"

[OOC] Psyche says, "Plax."

Typheous . o O ( Frame Plax? How? )

[OOC] You say, "Well, given that his twin brother's name is "Caine", it makes the whole "I'll sell you my birthright if you let me eat some of that red stuff" story take on a whole new meaning, doesn't it?"

[OOC] Typheous says, "Yes.... but they both can't ask for the red stuff, can they?"

Psyche . o O ( Either he was to be set up as a guilty party for stealing the ring...or Nod was to be framed for Plax's disappearance. Because unless Nod is a much better liar than I think he is...he's really that fucking stupid. )

[OOC] Eclipse thinks they can. "Or as Beth's gaming group would say, 'Bleahd. Bleahd!'"

Rade raises her head, tilting it at Nod. "You don't want to come along to visit your father?"

Nod, "I have little choice. You third-years have a lot more freedoms than we first-years do, Awakened or not. I could ask Orpheus, but I don't think he'll let me leave the academy on a hunch, do you?"

Tsharing says, "Unlikely."

Typheous slowly loses himself in thought. . o O ( I would say that it was Nod to be framed for Plax's disappearence... which gets 2 of the heirs out of the way.)

[OOC] You say, "I know how to create sticky in an impossible group - make them work together out of necessity for a few sessions and then have one of the players leave the group, opening up a quest for the lost character. Eus will be happy to know that my plot has taken off like a shot as a direct result of his forensics competitions..."

[OOC] Psyche is proud of you, Clipy.

[OOC] Typheous says, "Well two of the characters were super glued together by their players. *grin*"

[OOC] You say, "These were already kind of in motion, but they were all in the background and low-key until now."

[OOC] Tsharing says, "So, are we heading off to meet Caine, now?"

[OOC] Typheous says, "Or to die, one of the two."

Psyche . o O ( That's my conclusion too. And... ) "Is there anything that distinguishes your father from your uncle, Nod?"

[OOC] Typheous says, "We just have to find a way to get out of classes."

Psyche pages: "I'm going to come back and Mer's going to be pregnant or something."

[OOC] You say, "Give me just a sec. Looking up something..."

[OOC] Typheous chuckles. forgetting the details of your NPC's.

Nod, "My father has a scar along his right cheek from a quarrel he got in with Uncle Caine when they were children. They weren't allowed to play with real knives for a year after that incident."

Psyche has received your page: "(Would I do that to you?)"

[OOC] You say, "Couldn't remember which one of them had the scar..."

[OOC] Rade grins

[OOC] Rade mutters. "And caine would be a druana."

[OOC] You say, "Of course, if Caine was the one with the scar, I would be ripping off the Lion King, wouldn't I?"

Rade ooc Am I timon or pumba?

[OOC] Rade bahs at that ooc :)

Typheous nods slowly. "So there's no way that one could pose as the other without some help..."

Psyche pages: "(Yes)"

Tsharing pages: "Log-off-soon warning."

Nod, "Well, I guess if Uncle Caine cut his cheek and didn't use magic to heal it before it scarred, he might look exactly like my father. We'll just hope he doesn't think of that."

[OOC] You say, "And that's where we'll end for tonight."

[OOC] You say, "RP vote."

User Conn Idle RP-Stat `@my tag is ...`

Eclipse 4h 0s IC Wiz Causing players confusion and trouble since '90

Tsharing 43m 41s IC PC

Psyche 3h 41s IC Wiz I'm not good, I'm not nice, I'm just -right-...

Typheous 6h 1m IC Wiz Well I'm terribly sorry, but I don't care...

Rade 4h 2m OOC Tec

--[Sun Jan 26 05:35:03 2655]--------------------------------[5 users; 0s lag]--

Tsharing pages: "Psyche"

*** Added 3 XP to Tsharing's Experience ***

[OOC] Rade blinks. "Life magic can't fake a scar?" :)

*** Added 3 XP to Typheous's Experience ***

*** Added 3 XP to Rade's Experience ***

Typheous pages: "Tsharing"

Rade pages: "Typheous"

*** Added 4 XP to Psyche's Experience ***

[OOC] Tsharing says, "Life and Matter certainly could. Or just use Forces to create an illusion."

[OOC] Rade says, "life, I don't think matter would be a good idea there :)"

[OOC] Typheous would think just Life would work...

[OOC] You say, "Haven't I established that Nod is naive and more than a little ignorant about the details of magic? *grin*"

[OOC] Typheous says, "True..."

[OOC] Rade says, "heh"

[OOC] Eclipse hoped everyone didn't think Nod completely understood everything he was talking about...

Psyche pages: "Mmmm....Rade"

[OOC] Psyche laughs.

[OOC] Typheous chuckles.

[OOC] Psyche says, "Like hell."

[OOC] You say, "You folks amaze me, you really do..."

[OOC] Typheous says, "How so?"

[OOC] Tsharing says, "In a good or bad way?"

*** Added 1 XP to Tsharing's Experience ***

*** Added 1 XP to Psyche's Experience ***

*** Added 1 XP to Typheous's Experience ***

*** Added 1 XP to Rade's Experience ***

[OOC] You say, "That's how."

[OOC] Rade laughs madly

[OOC] Typheous says, "What, we all voted for someone else?"

Eclipse takes off his dragon medallion.

[OOC] Tsharing says, "Split vote?"

[OOC] Psyche dies.

[OOC] Psyche says, "Four-way split again?"

[OOC] You say, "Everyone voted for someone different."

[OOC] Tsharing says, "Before I log off, may I plug something? http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30085 has the writeup of the first Exalted prelude. The rest will be following soon. Thank you."

Tsharing has lost her link.

[OOC] Rade smiles. "That was fun eric, thanks."

[OOC] You say, "What did you think?"

Rade pages: "Oh, and remember, december third is my last day, so if you come up with some convienent idea before then about how to step rade out for a bit, by all means let me know"

[OOC] Typheous likes it... not sure how we're going to get time off classes to do anything, but hey, we'll call it an honors conversion of the cabals for dummies class.

[OOC] Psyche says, "Having a blast."

Rade has received your page: "I'll find you an out somewhere. Any idea of how you'd like to go out? Since you'll probably be back before chronicle end, killing Rade off is not necessary, by any means."

[OOC] You say, "All I'm doing is using people's backgrounds against them."

[OOC] Typheous chuckles. Best way to do it.

Rade pages: "I don't want to kill her. :) It doesn't matter, it can be as traumatic, or mundane as you'd like. though you know me, traumatic is fun."

Typheous pages: "Would I be able to pull a dex point if I save up the xp for it? "

The resolution of Tsharing fades. With a hiss of static her disconnected body implodes into a single point of light, then blinks out of existence.

Typheous has received your page: "What is the target Dex?"

Rade has received your page: "We'll find something appropriate."

Typheous pages: "The target Dex would be 5. I still need 6 more xp, though."

(remotely) Typheous would wait until he had it and then get it, but I'm not sure what I'd have to do to get it.

[OOC] You say, "Easy, too. Guaranteed to give you a handle on individual PCs."

(remotely) Rade points at his destiny background, and the women in her family's tendancy to dissappear as a possibility.

Typheous has received your page: "Dex 5 is a pretty challenging goal, true. Shouldn't be too difficult to implement, especially if there are some Dex feats in the near future."

(remotely) Typheous nodsnods. There's been all the fighting, and his fencing training, but I'm not sure if I'm going that way, heaing toward Mind 3, or working toward a new sphere (Prime maybe... or Spirit..)

Typheous pages: "Let's see... Mind 3 would be 7 * 2 = 14 * 3/4 = 10.5. Would that be rounded up or down? (Specialty sphere and adept sphere)"

Rade has received your page: "I was thinking something along those lines. Halda and Rade will probably not be comfortable staying in the city for too long. Wandering off into the woods, whether alone or as a last test from Erin, would seem to fit the character."

Typheous has received your page: "XP costs are rounded up."

Typheous pages: "Then I'd need another point there... would it be easier to ICly justify the Mind 3 or the Dex 5?"

(remotely) Psyche attempts to decide whether to save XP until I have the 24 +16 for two Seekings, or to spend it on a mix of various spheres and abilities.

Typheous has received your page: "I think either is justifiable, really, especially by the time you get those last few XP."

Rade pages: "erin? :)"

(remotely) Typheous nodsnods and will think on it. I also have a few skills/talents I want to get eventually...

(to Rade) Eclipse sighs. "I meant Dina. Clearly getting close to my bedtime."

Psyche pages: "Any votes from the ST?"

(remotely) Rade grins.

Rade pages: "That's what I thought, but was worried I'd forgotten my own backstory or something :)"

Typheous pages: "Like a slightly better alertness and dodge, although dex 5 will help the dodge bit...and help with the fencing, so it's really tempting."

Psyche has received your page: "It's a tough choice, but improving mundane abilities as well as mystical ones tends to make for a more balanced and flexible character, in my opinion."