Ray Heart (Completed/Finished)

If there was one thing that Kyrian could glean from interacting with Kaz, it was the man wasn't exactly all there. Why the hell had Kaz latched onto him? Sure, he strove to do good in his life, but he wasn't an absolute beacon of goodness. Besides, the thought of Kaz being in his bed in such a manner made his skin crawl- especially when it was being done to hide himself after commuting extremely bloody murder.

"I have a better idea. I will help you, only this once. If you bring this on my head a second time, I will consider you my enemy, and treat you accordingly. " Kyrian hissed at Kaz, before raising his hand to point it at the bloodied man. He wasn't just a healer- he had more tricks up his sleeve. The idiot wasn't close enough to the window for Kyrian to push him out of, though he would only do something like that without the reasonably sure bet that Kaz would survive a fall from that height.

Words slipped from his mouth, a new prayer to Kasm that would activate a spell- a banishment spell. The expected outcome was that Kaz would disappear to a harmless demiplane for a few minutes before returning to the room. Knowing Kasm though...the spell sometimes didn't work- or Kasm would mess with the spell- sending him away. That though, was a risk he was willing to take.

If Kyrian stayed, due to the spell fizzing out or Kaz being sent away instead, he would clean the room in a cursory manner, making sure the clothes were under the bed. The dried blood on Kyrian's shirt had been scraped away as best as he could- leaving brown stain marks that he would have to clean once he was done. There was a spell for that, but he didn't want to use a ton of magic in the morning- his philosophy was to save it until it was needed. Kasm, why did he have to deal with a man who was both crazy and a moron?
Kyrian would approach the door, cracking it open to face whomever was at the door. "Yes?" Kyrian would ask whomever was at the door.

If not, Kyrian (or Kaz) would disappear from the room, looking clearly surprised as he was taken to dreamy, starry land- floating in a space with the stars all around him- left to float a few minutes before appearing once again in Kyrian's room, exactly where he had been standing.
 
Verity

It was great that Verity didn't have to go around trying to show paperwork or argue about the importance of her visit and even greater that the baroness recognized her. Work hard did pay off, sometimes at least. However, there was something that felt odd about being addressed as 'Lady Knight', so Verity figured she'd attempt to correct hat first. “Please, by all means, just call me Verity.”

She listened to the baroness's words whilst walking along, being caught by surprise when she learned about the lost priest and groom. For a priest to be late at a wedding was a bit odd. Normally, the theocratic parts of the country would be on guard not to offend the nobility, or the very least they'd likely make sure that their own sloppiness wouldn't reflect their religion. She wondered if something more serious must have happened to the priest that was supposed to wed these two. 'Wait a second...' She suddenly recalled that Kyrian was also a priest, even though she mostly knew him as a healer. Certainly whatever adventure Kyrian might have had in the sewers or in the Cringing Cockatrice could have caused him to be late, if he were the priest responsible. He probably wasn't, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. “The priest you're talking about doesn't happen to be Kyrian Zamir, by any chance, does it?”

The following conspiracy theories were also off interest, but they caught Verity off-guard. It mind her made go into overdrive. 'She seems awfully relaxed for someone that just got attacked. Normally, people would be a bit more paranoid about someone that goes missing, yet she's suggesting something scandalous instead...' She wasn't sure how to react to this, but somehow, the oddly mischievous smile was charming, despite the ominous undertones. Or maybe it was thank to the ominous undertones? In either case, Verity decided to cut to the point. “If you want, I could have a peak into the memories of the groom's inner circle of friends to see what they've been up too, and if any of them is hiding something in order to cover from him. More importantly, however, I'd like to know if you have any idea why yesterday's ruffians might have tried to attack you. While the aggressors made it sound like there were predominantly racist motives, I fear someone might've orchestrated it for far more nefarious reasons. Is there anyone or anything that comes to mind?”
 
Sitting and eating a small meal to settle her stomach for the events ahead Baloc heard most of what happened on the lower floor. But what took up most her focus was the goblin Gattas and the knight having a very diverse conversation. She is no fool to the world, especially the false faces and games played for people to survive. But she herself enjoyed them when she really didn't want to peal them away. The knight and or others had been in a fight causing the surprising damage around. As the knight spoke of everyone being savages she felt her tongue go over her sharpened teeth and a small fire build in her chest. She had her own primal reactions and savageries. She knew them, held them at bay, and sometimes let them loose. But to look down at everyone for seemingly wanting a basic life or a semblance of balance had little merit to her at least.

Shaking her head she unfocused from her inner mingling and thought to drink some. When she could she gave the goblin the knight was talking to a small smile and a nod of the head. She wasn't against making friends but pity wasn't always needed. Sometimes just being kind could help someone. Examining her gifts resting in her lap she made sure not to spill or dirty them. Her wings held tight to her back as to not get in another individuals way. She had made the mistake of getting horribly drunk here and sneezed. Causing her wings to open in a blink of an eye. Giving a man a nose bleed and knocking another clear out of his chair. Days of having fun and drinking here were and are her best days when not in the forge.

Pulling out a journal she wrote her response. She had seen Gattas several times. The way he spoke made a smile always come to her face. Never out of laughing at him but knowing it made him unique in the history of people she had met. Writing on a paper in her response journal she waited for Gattas to come by before tapping the counter and offering the book to him. The script reading 'Are you doing alright Gattas?' She gave a smile with it if it could help in any way.

Then pulled the book back writing in it again
'Anything I can help with?' In her work supplies and materials always costed something. To the fuels to the hammers she uses. But she always found kindness costed nothing at most occasions it could be used. In her eyes Gattas having this place and working hard made her respect him.
 
Solomon stumbled in the street for a few moments, the lingering effects of last night’s escapade still weighing on his mind. His not so subtle hangover conjured many dirty looks from people as they passed by. He glared right back at them. “The hell you lo-“ before he can finish his sentence, a pressure suddenly builds in his throat as he doubled over and expelled bile onto the cobblestone street. Some children, whom were watching from an alleyway, began laughing at the flagrant display while some stall vendors recoiled in barely veiled disgust.

Solomon didn’t feel very good. Scratch that, he felt awful. He needed to expel his condition before any of the knights find him and berate him for shaming his title with embarrassing displays. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he stands back up and looks around for a good long second before making his way down the street towards one of his preferred shops.

Kilgore’s Cauldron was an aptly named alchemist shop specializing in magical and exotic medicines. It was owned by the relatively wealthy merchant, Lazaran Kilgore. If you wanted a spicefreeze potion made of herbs only found in the Scornrot forest, he had it. Or if you wanted a cold serum made of specially cultivated mushrooms, you know that good ol’ Kilgore’s got you covered. Speaking of the merchant, he was currently organizing several jars of unknown glowing concoctions. But before he could finish, he was interrupted by the creaking of his storefront door being hastily opened, as if a gust of wind had suddenly took control of the hinges itself. “Greetings, welcome to my humble shop, how can I-“ The merchant stopped himself short as he finally saw who his customer was. “Oh, it’s just you, what is it this time Solomon?” He asked, almost tiredly.

Solomon hastily waved off the store owner before replying. “Get me a dialysis potion pronto.” He commanded urgently, grabbing his head in pain at the loud sound caused by the shutting of the door behind him.

Kilgore sighed wearily as he walked to the back of his shop to retrieve the required product. “So, you once again gave in to the bottle aye?” He asked, while digging through a crate full of vials.

“An unfortunate mistake, I won’t let it happen again.” The sorcerer replied, rubbing his temples in a vain attempt at alleviating his throbbing headache.

The merchant chuckled, “How many times have I heard that line?” He asked rhetorically while walking over and handing him the vial of yellow liquid.

Solomon ignored him as he quickly popped the cork off the glass vial and chugged it down like a shot of rum. He instantly felt better, his headache ceased and his stomach no longer screamed in sickly fury. He looked back to Kilgore for a moment before flipping a coin into the air, which the store owner expertly caught. “See you around.” And with that, he walked out the door, intent on continuing his investigation at the upcoming wedding.
 

\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/
Thorne Glowbrew
/\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/\

Well it was going to be difficult to figure out who exactly had sent the assassins on thorne if he didn’t know who hired him. Thorne internally cursed himself for letting the allure of money take over his survival instincts. He couldn’t wallow in self pity though, he needed to figure out a way to get back into shape. His arm was cracked, and he needed to find a healer and get a good night’s rest before doing anything else. The small goblin who owned the bar looked to have a decent head on his shoulders, albeit, he was also looking a little angry from the encounter with the individual who stormed out of the bar. Thorne actually chuckled quietly at the man’s words, as they were literally accurate for him. He didn’t have this bloodlust that the man described, but he did indeed have rotten flesh beneath a mask.

Thorne waited a little bit before making his move, noticing the goblin now interacting with the other patrons. There was a woman with a journal he was by, and Thorne took the opportunity to walk across the room and interject himself. “Don’t mind me intruding, but do either of you know where I’d be able to find a wandering healer of some sort? I don’t want any official ones because ah… They’re more expensive,” Thorne explained quickly. He didn’t mention the fact that the official ones also were more widely known and were easier to track. Thorne needed someone who would get the job done fast and wasn’t tied down.
 
Time: 11:00 AM
Day: Monday
Weather:
Mostly clear and sunny with few clouds and a light cold breeze. Just above freezing in the sun.
Those Involved: @Wiggin @ShiroKiyoshi @slifer @Elvario @Ur Degaton @Skyhunter @TheEccentric @The_Queer_Alien @CaptainLiterally @Soverign @Ariel @EldridSmith
TooLongDidn'tRead: While the knights close in on Kaz who is being hidden by Kyrian in his rented room, the rest of the party takes it easy in the first floor of the cringing cockatrice. Elsewhere, Solomon overhears some interesting things in the street. Meanwhile, Verity continues investigating the previous evening's violent acts toward a Baroness.

Note From The Author: (I'll try to keep this post layout for a while to better keep people informed of what is going on. Latest post will obviously be most accurate.)
Post Listening:

Cringing Cockatrice 2nd Floor

A golden light flowed from Kyrian and enveloped Kaz as he pranced about mostly naked and dirty. An audible popping sound could be heard where Kaz once was. It appeared as though the magic had worked, but now the question was for how long. Kyrian's soft answer at the door was met with an impatient shove as knights quickly and forcefully charged into the room. The commotion could be heard downstairs.

Following the footprints left by Kaz, the knights were able to use the faint trail to find the pool of drying blood under the bed, which they tossed, and the dirty clothes left by Kaz. The blemish on Kyrian's shirt didn't go unnoticed, but the cleric was given little instruction other than to not go anywhere while they searched the room for additional evidence. Based on the evidence found so far and the lack of suspect diversity, it was a wonder Kyrian wasn't already tackled and restrained by these full plated knights. Some of them spoke to themselves,

"...doesn't fit the profile...."
"...take him in for questioning..."


While the knights discussed their next steps, a couple runner boys entered the room after the knights. They were dressed in the livery of the Rook House, the noble Kyrian was supposed to do a wedding for that day.

"Father Kyrian?...we have been sent to fetch you. The ceremony is meant to start soon. The countess is highly displeased, but if we can make it back before the Marquis, perhaps you'll be spared some of her wrath."

The boys suggested helpfully as they started pulling at Kyrian to come with them. A knight moved in front of the boys to block the door and prevent anyone from coming or going into the room. The runners immediately protested while the knights countered. Nobles' business vs Eldritch Knight business. Whose was more important? Unfortunately for the errand boys, the knights currently on the case were of the nobility, so they were not so easily put off by the mentioning of a nobles' interests in Kyrian to simply let him walk out.

However, Kyrian knew time was ticking and Kaz would reappear momentarily...

Kaz would awake in an endless void of stars. Floating as he was with no means of moving himself anywhere of consequence, he had little to do but think and gaze at the stars that speckled the void. It was clearly a consequence of magic Kyrian used meaning it was likely possible to escape or even prolong his stay with the right effort. The question is, what did he want to do most in the moment now that he seemingly had time on his hands.

Downstairs,

Gattas was making good work on cleaning the bar. The breakfast crowd was pretty much done and there would be a brief lull until the lunch crowd rolled in. When Baloc and Thorne approached, it started to feel a little more like a regular day again. At Thorne's request, both Baloc and Gattas knew of someone that could fit the bill. While their reasons for knowing this person differed, both would know of a Fae living in the Fae district of the city. She was a dryad that lived in a willow tree that grew by the water channel that cut through the city. Going by the name Linetta, she differed from the human district's church healers in both technique and concern. Treating who she wished and answering to no one, Linetta may be a good suggestion for the injured Thorne.

Streets of the City

As Solomon was making his way to the Marquis's estate for the wedding ceremony, he would be cold and sobered up. While his misery would only increase now that he could probably feel all his injuries and mostly sleepless night, also had sharper awareness. He saw the distinguishable red head Yeothal walking down the street in the same direction on the opposite walk. He would eventually disappear down an alley just ahead on his right. The Mercantile member from the other evening was accompanied by several of his men. Before leaving Solomon's sight, he would overhear...

"Too bad about those **** knights cutting our breakfast short"

"Ya, we should really teach some of them a lesson for messing with the Yeothal gang."

"Peace, you idiots. Picking fights with council dogs is a good way to get hurt, and unless it is for a job, there won't be any money in it to pay your church bills. Best for us to keep our heads low for a while. Never know when another cake job may come rolling in. Would be a shame to pass it up because the boys are dead, in jail, or too hurt to move."

"Makes sense, boss. When will you being seeing tall, dark, and gruesome again?"

"Tonight. He's got the rest of our earnings and I can ask about anymore work. Hopefully it pays better. Regularly bumping heads with Knights should get us hazard pay."


The group resoundingly answers in agreement.

Rook City Estate

Verity and Maspira continued their leisurely stroll through the estate gardens.

"Very well, Verity, and yes, Kyrian is the name of the expected priest. Do you happen to know where he is? Him showing up finally would probably put Deb at ease a little."

It wasn't until the rounded one of the corner statues and were a good distance away from other guests roaming the grounds that Maspira answered the rest,

"I wouldn't recommend it. Most of the guests here are nobles. Reading their minds requires the right paperwork to be done first due to the nature of the knowledge they may know and you may become aware of. If you tried sneaking it, you would likely be caught as well and the punishments could be severe. There are mages and other magically sensitive inviduals around. Even my body guard, Harold, can sense when magic is being used nearby. Would be a good way to get a sword through you if you were mistaken to be doing something hostile with your magic.

However, the Marquis's head butler and city-estate steward may know something and would not have the same protections many of the other guests would. He would likely be the most knowledgeable when it comes to the comings and goings of his lord."

The Baroness finished as they rounded the vacant space to the side of the estate. There was a below ground pool that was covered by a large, black tarp. Despite their ability to keep the water warm, it seemed heating the air between the pool and the manor was a bit too impractical even for the Rook house.
 
Navea awoke from a deep sleep with a start, lurching forward and accidentally tossing her empty notebook onto the table on which her feet rested. She blinked away at the bleariness covering her eyes before politely placing her feet on the ground, hoping to appear more alert than she looked as she tried to make sense of the current situation.

When her consciousness had somewhat returned, she deduced that the goblin was giving a far better answer than she could have. She was about to close her eyes and disregard the interaction when her peripheral vision caught sight of a particular masked figure...

Navea was suddenly very alert. She sat up straight in her chair and pushed stray strands of straw-yellow hair behind her ear to assume a guise of tidiness. She looked directly into the eye-holes of her awakener's mask before speaking:

"Did you change your mask? Or was there a different fox-faced individual running around just earlier?" she asked, letting her voice deepen so that the goblins wouldn't hear. Navea grinned innocently and made sure her hands were in plain sight in hopes of projecting harmlessness. "I wonder who could have caused that injury.... a particularly dark-clad man, perhaps?"

Perhaps she should have thought through her approach a little more. Oh, well.

Mentions:
@Wiggin
 
Kaz was still getting his pants off when the healer in front of him declared he had a better idea, which stopped Kaz from fully getting them off. Kaz left his pants be and smirked having both his hands on his hips, taking Kyrian's threat with a grain of salt, clearly not taking his threat seriously when he said he would deem him, Kaz, a enemy. Bit dramatic but whatever.

" Well if you got a idea at least let me grab my- " Kaz was walking over to the rest of his clothes, boots and his old looking broken shiv on the floor but the spell had stopped him from grabbing such items and the Native outsider would hear a POP which then he would not feel the ground and only see empty space.

Of course this surprised the Bloodhawk as he floated freely in space as he finished his sentence. " Things. " But now with a hint of shock and surprise as he gazed into nothingness but stars and void, the quiet silence that surrounded him. Kaz moved his head around trying to see what happened to him, is this what that healer had in mind? Send him to... Wherever this was? This wasn't like the Great Beyond when he first looked on into that void, this was different. That place was more... Violent and dark, this was peaceful and quiet. Honestly it was quite relaxing, the Bloodhawk hasn't experienced something like this before.

Kaz looked at his hands as he floated into empty space, should he try using magic? He felt like that maybe he shouldn't so he was reluctant, but then panic hit Kaz. He didn't have his shiv! That shiv was the only thing he had left of the one person he saw closest as a mother! Kaz' heart began to race as his orange pupil of his eye began to glow, he could feel the rage building but he needed to calm down, the healer he need to trust. Kaz took deep breathes as his the glow dissipated. The Bloodhawk needed to only relax. He closed his eyes and took deep breathes to control his emotions, he would be here for a while. Kaz crossed his legs and began to meditate, focusing on his powers within, trying to feel for control over both elements at the same time.
 
Verity

Verity clicked her tongue when her suspicions turned out to be legitimate. “I'm afraid I saw him climbing out of a sewer yesterday-night, looking rather... well... like how you'd expect someone to look after coming out of a sewer, except maybe a bit more charred? I'm not sure if he'd be in any state to conduct a ceremony today, but if he managed to recover quickly enough, he's likely to still be at the Cringing Cockatrice.”

Verity smiled upon hearing about the potential issues with mind-reading nobles, although it was a bit of a wry smile. After all, the answer wasn't unexpected in the least, which was why she'd only brought it up in a half-joking manner. Se was far more concerned about the attackers, so noticing that the baroness was avoiding that question wasn't boding well. “That would be a legitimate enough concern, but I'm afraid you're avoiding the more important question. Unless the missing groom or his head butler are somehow related, I'd much rather focus on finding out who's the one that orchestrated last night's attack. I'd rather prevent another attempt, instead of hoping for the right people to be around to take care of it when it's already happening. Is there really nobody or nothing that comes to mind?” It wouldn't take a mind-reader to see that she'd love to take a peak at the baroness's thoughts, especially after she'd ignored the question the first time, but that she was holding herself back out of politeness and customs.
 
The authorities were amicable enough, so Gattas just had them do their jobs while he did his, letting his wife deal with any work that needed anything but muscle. Along the way, he displayed the magical power of his Gorilla Grip, easily balancing and hoisting the table remains around, giving the occasional smile towards the patrons that asked about the strangely severe damages. He didn't respond much, at least not until the looming figure of Baloc came into sight. Much like him, she possessed a visage that the average human and other such major race can find terrifying or appalling. He gently lowered the burden in his hand as he carefully read her journal, a curious practice that made him dizzy at first, mainly because he almost took offense believing it to be an indirect way of questioning his Intelligence and civility. Regarding her with a smile with more life to it, he forced a chuckle and spoke his funny words, "Ah doin the best ah can, ain't the worst, but it be in me top 10 mistakes, bringin' an oatmeal-fer-brains ElDrItCh KnIgHt."

Making sure to roll his eyes at the tailend of his reply, he pursed his lips while he drifted back into his relatively simple mind. Although he felt inclined to decline, he began overthinking if it would be more rude to disregard aid, or would it be worse to include an outsider in an internal problem. While mulling over this, more and more people just started popping up to join the conversation, so the Goblin fondly nodded at his patrons as he jumped up to the counter and sat on it. "Help ain't needed, yer patronage be ta reason for me hardwork, course' that be second ta me family.", after answering, he raised a brow at Thorne as he confusedly tried to remember him, a task that he wants to practice with all patrons as much as possible. The words from the blond just deepened his curiosity and puzzlement.

"Well, if yer lookin' foh someone ye can trust won't cut yer leg off foh a big price, Linetta be the face ya need ta look foh. Hard to miss, she be one o' the tree ladies, lives in one ta boot. Can't promise she'll help, can promise she'll consider, though.", his yammering beginning, Gattas hopped down behind the counter and pulled out his favorite rag, beginning to clean the countertop as his mind created an exaggerated scene of romance and secrrec the between Thorne and Navea.
 
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Solomon’s brow furrowed as he absorbed the new Information he was given. It’s not every day that a lead falls right into your lap. It would seem that luck was smiling upon him once more. Too bad Verity wasn’t here to see this, she was by far a more skilled investigator. Yet he knew that an opportunity such as this was not one to be squandered.

Solomon grimaced as his wounds irritate his body. He wasn’t in the best shape, but he had a job to do. Looking both ways down the street, he makes his way over to the alley and leans against the wall, out of sight of the thugs. He smiled as a plan formed in his mind. With a wave of his hand, he channeled his magic into an illusion that covered his form. What was once a robed Eldritch knight, is now an elderly beggar, clothed in dirty and torn clothes, and with a noticeably gaunt disposition. He would follow the thugs under the guise of one of the city’s many homeless residents. They wouldn’t suspect a thing. Once he finds their employer, he would get his answers.

But his spell had a drawback. If he experienced a certain threshold of physical contact, the illusion would fade. He can shake hands and have people touch him, but if he were to bump into someone hard enough, or be shoved, the force would disrupt the flow of magic around his body. Thus he would potentially be stranded in enemy territory.
 
Everything was going as expectedly bad as it had done when following Kieran and Kaz around. He suspected that his demeanor wasn't overly nervous, combined with his priestly garb gave the guards that hint of wariness that came with dealing with any member of the clergy. The calmness that he wore over the nervousness from Kaz being a murderer had been hard-won- freaking out wasn't optimal when having to amputate a leg or restart a person's heart. Whatever happened, he would cooperate as much as possible.
Kaz didn't seem to be an idiot when it came to murder, so hopefully when he released the spell, Kaz would fix the room up and disappear on his own. He had meant what he said- he was done with Kaz Bloodhawk.

Kyrian turned to the guards, looking apologetic at what was going on. As per custom, he pulled out some coin for the boys, enough to tip them for a job well done. "Is there a way we can do both? If you both accompany me to the wedding, stay close by as I perform the wedding rites, then we can do the interrogation? The Baroness VonRichten isn't a lady to cross, and she'll be as angry at you as she would be with me for this interruption to the wedding. But if you must, let's do this quickly, please." Kyrian turned from the guards to the boys, speaking to them quickly so they could get moving, to inform the Baroness as fast as possible, while also shifting the blame onto the guards for being late. "Tell the Baroness I am being investigated by the Eldritch Knights for...some reason, and I'll hopefully be there before the Marquis shows up." Kyrian told the boys before sending them off, knowing their presence wasn't exactly going to do much to help him. This was why he didn't particularly like the Eldritch Knights- as he was sure this wasn't how they would treat one of their own who was even marginally under suspicion. Though it was strange that the Marquis was as late as he was...and he had been sleeping off a night of work combined with a delve into the sewers. That was a mystery for later. Right now, he had to go with these "fine gentlemen" to get tortured for a crime he didn't even commit.

Once the group was out of the room with the door closed behind them, Kyrian would release the spell, causing Kaz to plop back on the bed where he had been taking off his pants.
 
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Emathe was officially here on guard duty, though he was more free than the others and was able to socialize some with some of the more intellectual nobles which Emathe enjoyed, however they were called away on other business and he soon found the others present either strangers or absolutely uninteresting. As such he had his fill of his fathers bidding to try and make connections to advance the house's position, he had little care for the task, but tried to do so none the less and did so rather well with the nobles he spent his time with. One thing he found annoying was the amount of alcohol, he had trouble getting water to drink and had to resort to overly sweet fruit punch, which wasn't too bad. Having grown tired of the pointless socializing with nobles too eager to advance their careers, kiss up to higher rank nobles, verbally assault their rivals, flatter their allies, chase one night stands, and all manner of lawful discord, Emathe left the main gathering for a to patrol the gardens for some peace and quiet, or at the very least more polite company who didn't have veiled daggers or hidden intent in every word.

As he made his rounds around the building he unsurprisingly saw a noble passed out drunk in a bush due to their inability to hold their liquor, he avoided the man and continued on with his rounds before he spotted Verity and Baroness Maspira by the pool. Recalling something had recently occurred of particularly note with the baroness having been attacked Emathe approached the two with a pleasant smile. "Good evening to you lovely ladies." He politely stated as he approached. "I see I'm not the only one out for fresh air this fine evening." He stated as he arrived next to the two. "I am glad to see you are in fine health Baroness Maspira despite the recent attempt upon your health." He declared before turning to Verity. "I am glad to see you too are in fine health Verity, how goes the investigation regarding the recent situation? I am almost finished with my shift and can lend a hand if you so require it." He stated with a smile as he put the book tucked at his side and his reading glasses into his satchel. "I hope my intrusion is not ill mannered, but since I am doing rounds I felt it best to inquire of your situations due to recent events to see if either of you need anything."
@Elvario @Novama
 
- Kallias Drakos - Cringing Cockatrice -

The doors to the Cringing Cockatrice would swing open in dramatic fashion, as ordained by their opener, as was his tradition to let all occupants know whom had just arrived. Strutting inside with swagger, the clink of several pieces of jewelry and the sheen of his sharpened metal claws, the ostentatious red-clad man approached the bar and leaned upon it while smoothly slinking a pouch of coin to the bartender before making his order: "A glass of your finest wine, if you please~" Uttered Kallias Drakos in his typical tone laden with affluence and a vaguely sultry nature, coupled with a smile.

Passing a glance over the rest of the Cockatrice, he noted quite a few interesting characters present within its rowdy halls, keeping an expression of intrigue all the while, nodding seemingly in approval and resuming his wait for his drink. "Quite the roster we have today...wonder what I've missed? A great adventure? Spicy drama? Only one way to find out! But first, a good drink." Kallias spoke in his mind, it was often his way to speculate on the affairs of complete strangers and other members of the Mercantile simply based on how they were sitting, what they were dressed like or what they were drinking even. It was a good way to keep his racing mind occupied, after all.
 
Time: 11:10 AM
Day: Monday
Weather:
Mostly clear and sunny with few clouds and a light cold breeze. Just above freezing in the sun.
Those Involved: @Wiggin @ShiroKiyoshi @slifer @Elvario @Ur Degaton @Skyhunter @TheEccentric @The_Queer_Alien @CaptainLiterally @Soverign @Ariel @EldridSmith @Nero Kunivas
TooLongDidn'tRead: Tavern starts getting a little rowdy as the lunch hour approaches. Knights have questions for suspects. Solomon pursues a mercantile gang alone. Verity and Emathe meet suddenly in the wedding garden.

Note From The Author: (we have western and eastern approaches. when the western approach isn't being taken, eastern approach shall be force fed.)
Post Listening:

Cringing Cockatrice 2nd Floor

The runner boys for the Rook house looked to each other confused after Kyrian mentioned the Baroness.

"We'll be scolded if we come back without you. We are also here on behalf of the Marquis Rook and his soon to be wife countess Harven. If you have a message you would like passed along to them, we can deliver it."

They pleaded with Kyrian while giving the knight a pitiable expression. The knight was having none of it.

"Out of the way boys. You can come with us back to headquarters if you must. This is official, knight business."

Making his will clear, the knight then reached to Kyrian to take him by an arm and escort him out of the room. The boys nodded their agreement, disappointed with the outcome. The group of them and a couple more knights left the room, leaving the door open. The 3 knights that remained continued to look around the room and window. Items and signs of note were collected or documented as the knights were able to process the scene. One of the knights made to leave the room to return to the original crime scene when an audible POP filled the room and the half-naked Kaz was deposited on the bed.

Kaz was in a bit of a situation. Bouncing a bit on the bed before its soft wooden frame snapped, Kaz would seek into the thin mattress of feathers and wool with a bit of a *poof*. His lack of a shirt may have allowed him to feel a bit of a sudden chill after vacating the comfortable alternate space for the much cooler room with the window to the outside open. The knights were only surprised for a moment before drawing weapons on Kaz. The dried blood still apparent in his hair and trousers. Aside from full plate and drawn long swords, there was little to differentiate the knights other than the one that appeared to be a leader had additional helmet plumage and some red highlights on the armor. It may have distracted Kaz from what the men started shouting at him.


Downstairs,

The cold air coming in this Kallias was easily contending with the fire in the hearth that had been neglected somewhat, that morning. Sobering everyone in the room whether they liked it or not, some of the patrons voiced audible displeasure with Kallias for not being more considerate when entering. The rowdier lunch crowd had yet to arrive, but it seemed Kallias was a beginning. Others like Kallias that took early lunch started making their way to tables. The commotion upstairs that all had that was mostly resolved at that point suddenly heated up. Folks on the first floor could hear the sudden excited nature of the knights as they immediately started shouting at someone "Freeze".

Streets of the City

In his illusioned disguise, Solomon was able to limp, hobble, and skip his way behind Yeothal's gang like an beaten man or sore, old bum might. Whether he was noticed or not seemed to matter little as he didn't look much like himself. Leaving the nicer streets, businesses and homes behind for dingier streets, run down shops, and crime ridden boroughs, the eldritch knight would find the base of operations of the Yeothal gang.

It was a collections of homes and buildings built around an open courtyard with a broken fountain. children's toys lay strewn about the ground in cold mud while partially frozen laundry clung to lines suspended in air. A handful of women and elderly were either lounging around the space near fires or doing household chores. At the approach of the men, there were hugs and some degree of merriment. It was clearly a space Solomon could not get closer to without getting pointing out as something that didn't belong. However, he could position himself close enough to the gathering to keep watch.

It was cold despite being out of the wind and it looked like Solomon would need to stake out the gang for some time if he wished to followup on the lead. Not the most comfortable place to be with all his aches and pains and especially now that he was sobered up. However, as the knight was feeling this or that, Yeothal had produced a few small pouches that he handed to teary-eyed women that had joined the gathering in the inner yard. The celebratory nature of their return was now made more somber. A few moments of awkward standing around turned into the men going indoors to warm up and the scene going back to the way it was mostly with a few outside doing chores or relaxing by fires with more ventilation than stuff old homes.

"Say, Bum. You seem pretty fresh,"

A boy around 10 years old that had come from a different alley asked Solomon as he waltzed up to him with all the swagger of an adult with the world figured out.

8dbd7dac423d0df1fe3a91f03e23d7cc.jpg




Rook City Estate

Maspira sighed in response to Verity's pressing. With a casual eye roll, the Baroness explained,

"What happened the other night isn't really that big of deal. Don't get me wrong, it's dreadful business and apprehending those brutes should be priority, but it is not the first time nor the last. I'm a noble. Having supporters as well as enemies among the common people is part of the trade. What's more, I'm away from my Barony for this occasion. I'm sure half the nobles here have had similar incidents over the past week."

Lady VonRichten paused, as if to think better on it.

"Truthfully, there is more to the story, I confess. Maybe as a beastman you neglected to notice, but I'm a Fae noble of a human faction territory. That has garnered me some additional scorn beyond the rest. Normally, the human faction is stricter about who is allowed to marry in, but my husbands low standing made his love for me and his family's need for my family's wealth more pressing."

Maspira abruptly cut off as another couple of ladies going on a stroll passed. While one ignored the two, the other wore a condescending look. It was clear to Verity without using her powers that that noble woman in particular had a disdain for demi-humans. Shortly after, Emathe introduced himself.

Ahead of the group and past the pool, the head butler was making his way toward the backyard. There was a gathering there on an outdoor patio. Fires blazed in brick and iron fireplaces while the guests were served drinks and snacks.
 

\/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\/
Thorne Glowbrew
/\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/\

Thorne was glad to see that the small goblin tending the bar had calmed down from the earlier encounter to answer his question. The goblin describes a woman by the name of linetta, describing her to be partially made of plants, and on top of that, also lived inside of a tree. That didn’t seem too hard of a detail to miss. “Thank you for the assistance, here’s a little something for your help,” Thorne replied to the man, dropping a few coins he had warped out of his pocket dimension into the tavern keeper’s hand.

Thorne turned to leave and almost tripped over Naeve, whom he did not recognize from the night before. He didn’t even notice the loud shouting upstairs from how startled he was. She murmured something to Thorne, at least she was considerate as to who would be listening. “Oh yeah, sorry I almost forgot you here, c’mon,” Thorne quickly said in a normal voice. He then grabbed Naeve by the wrist and guided her out of the tavern and into the street. The two slipped past the man who had made a very obvious entrance to the bar. He couldn’t exactly leave the girl alone, if she was the one who assisted him the night before she was surely in danger of being thought of as an accomplice and promptly assassinated. Thorne couldn’t let something like that damage his conscience. “Now listen, you are going to follow me or you have the high possibility of getting attacked, do you understand?” Thorne Whispered to her while they walked about the streets.
 
Solomon looked down at the boy with a raised eyebrow. The pipsqueak had that look about him. The look a kid shouldn’t have. The look of a boy who’s had a rough life, and knows the harsh truth of the city underbelly. But a kid’s a kid, no matter how you look at it.

“There’s nothing fresh about these old bones,” he replies, his voice distorted by magic to sound older and gravelly. “But yes I am new around here. Came from a different city south of here. Thought this place would be better than where I was originally, but I was wrong.”

Solomon was half tempted to put the boy under a sleep spell. He didn’t want his cover blown, or to have too much attention drawn to him. But at the same time casting magic in such a populated area wouldn’t be ideal, so he decided to play along for now.

“Say kid, got any work for me? Could use the coin. I’m a hard worker and I can get any job done.”

If Solomon could get into their ranks, he could find out more about what operations the seedy underbelly of the city was planning. And if he was caught, he doubted any of these folk could be a threat, not physically at least. Being attacked by a horde of hobos would be more akin to fighting off an army of zombies, than it would an army of trained soldiers.
 
Solomon looked down at the boy with a raised eyebrow. The pipsqueak had that look about him. The look a kid shouldn’t have. The look of a boy who’s had a rough life, and knows the harsh truth of the city underbelly. But a kid’s a kid, no matter how you look at it.

“There’s nothing fresh about these old bones,” he replies, his voice distorted by magic to sound older and gravelly. “But yes I am new around here. Came from a different city south of here. Thought this place would be better than where I was originally, but I was wrong.”

Solomon was half tempted to put the boy under a sleep spell. He didn’t want his cover blown, or to have too much attention drawn to him. But at the same time casting magic in such a populated area wouldn’t be ideal, so he decided to play along for now.

“Say kid, got any work for me? Could use the coin. I’m a hard worker and I can get any job done.”

If Solomon could get into their ranks, he could find out more about what operations the seedy underbelly of the city was planning. And if he was caught, he doubted any of these folk could be a threat, not physically at least. Being attacked by a horde of hobos would be more akin to fighting off an army of zombies, than it would an army of trained soldiers.

Speaking of necromancy, he didn’t understand why that particular branch of magic was so hated by society. It wasn’t just about raising the dead, it was the manipulation of death and decay itself. A tool that could be used to turn executed criminals into a useful source of labor at no cost of life. Or a way of converting the decaying flesh of animals into fertilizer at a much faster rate than it would take originally. He even wrote a 300 page essay on the benefits of necromancy and sent it to the Council Of Sorcery, yet they rejected it each time. Though he knew why. The stigma around the manipulation of the dead is too controversial to be implemented into the modern magic curriculum.
 
Verity

Interactions: Emanthe @EldridSmith

There were a few options. The easiest to reach one was that Baroness really believed it was mere racism, thereby ignoring or disbelieving Verity's earlier explanation that it all looked far too organised for such a shallow motive. The second was that the Baroness was purposefully hiding something, but Verity wasn't really picking up on any tell-tale signs of lies, so she figured she'd put that option to the back of her mind, for now at least. The third option was revealed when Maspira casually mentioned her family was wealthy enough for a human faction to wish to have one of their own marry her. The way she phrased it sounded like there was a considerable amount of wealth, even by noble standards. Could this simply be the type of harassing that'd end with extortion? Someone sending people to attack her until a certain sum was paid? It'd explain the level of planning more than outright racism, that much was sure. Verity wanted to press the issue, but was interrupted by Emanthe's appearance.

She'd always considered him to be a bit odd, with his entire style of being cheap and sober, but he was the kind of colleague that could be extremely useful for a wide variety of reasons, so she was more than willing to overlook or even go along with his peculiarities in that regard. The usefulness part was shown when he offered his help in the investigation, after an overload of semi-formal greetings. She couldn't suppress a bit of sly smile as she figured she could catch two birds with one stone; both presenting her latest theory to Maspira and enlisting someone to her aid. “Good morning to you as well, Emanthe. We were just discussing some possible motives. While racism is such a possible motive, I'd prefer to err on the side of caution and assume something worse, for there was a little too much planning going on to dismiss things.” She then turned towards Maspira. “Has your family faced any sort of extortion before? While the people attacking you might have had some racist motives, I believe the one orchestrating this might be out for either long-term financial gain or for something worse. Knowing what I might be facing would be a huge help when confronting any possible perpetrators, so anything you know is of help.”

She turned to Emanthe once more. “I'm planning to track down a man named Yeothal before long, as he seems to be the one that got hired for the job. I'll have to get a peak into his memories once things are wrapped up here, so I could really use someone to back me up whilst doing so.”
 
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As Kaz seemed to have drift farther and farther away from his usual primal nature of death and gore, he only seemed to have found serenity in the silence and relaxation. Farther he drifted from reality in this small pocket dimension, trying to clash and combine both elements he's been cursed with from the two tribes his parents were from, making him a unholy figure and a scourge upon the religion each tribe had. Though he was careful not to force the combination of both elements, that would result in... Exploding. The one thing he has yet to master. But he could feel it, he was so close to getting these volatile elements together. Just a little more! Then...

POP

Kaz' concentration was ruined by a large audible noise that also dropped him on top of a bed, basically breaking it, Kaz sat there as he bounced a few times. His heterochromica eyes opening, revealing the orange and blue corneas within. He could feel the chill of reality now, the hairs on his neck standing up and he shivered for a moment. The naive native looked up to see three knights stare at him in surprise, of course Kaz only stared at them as only silence filled the room. Then they pulled out their weapons which in return the Bloodhawk let a grin slide across his face, the half naked man stood up on the bed now, hands on his hips with his head held high. He knew what was about to ensue, he knew these knights were after and he was pretty sure they knew he wasn't going to comply. He could these Knights wouldn't understand why he did what he did, why he had to kill a innocent man. Why he ate most of his face, it was survival, it was a part of the curse that his entire tribe was hexed with by his 'God.' What a weak god...

Kaz heard the first knight speak, although he didn't exactly listen by being distracted with the colors on his suit and the 'hair?' Maybe? On his helmet? Well whatever, he looked really stupid with it on, its what really distracted Kaz before he realized it was just decoration or something as dumb. " You look dumb with that weird fake hair stuff on your helmet, you look like a target. " Kaz pointed out pointing at the Knights head, he turned his head looking at the other two lower ranked knights who also had Swords drawn on him. " Before we start this brawl, let me get my clothes on. " Kaz said with a hand up and a laid back tone, almost like this was a normal occurrence thing. He turned his head again to where he left his clothes and ceremonial shiv, the only thing he had left to remember the closest thing he had to a mother. Seeing that his items were gone, Kaz' eyes widen with fear and anger. He looked to the knight in front of him with the stupid hair and and and and red markings! " Where the hell is my shiv you wrapped up can of shit! " His personality doing a complete one eighty as he held his fist up, his fist immediately catching fire, the flame burned hot and bright, Kaz' orange cornea glowed brightly in the room.

But Kaz took a deep breath and exhaled, the flame extinguishing. His eye glow dissipated, his blue cornea instead glowing now. "
No, I can't have you dying so quickly with flame. I need make your talk so I can get my shit back. " Kaz stood there looking down at the leader of the knights with his arms at his side, fists clenched, and blue strings of lightning appearing and disappearing on his arms. Kaz spoke calmly, this was a important matter that require a level head for a item that could NOT be replaced. He needed to get it back, but he wasn't a idiot, he knew these uptight assholes wouldn't talk so easily, but he could make them talk, looking at what they were wearing, they became fodder to him. Easy prey. Their suits proected them from hits with fists and some weapons, but could full steel plate armor protect them from electricty? Or conduct it making the suit into a box of agony, Kaz quickly raised his hand just barely a few inches, fingers extended, unleashing strings of blue into the leader before him.

As Quick with his hand, he raised it to the other two knights and let out the same strings of power against them too, the electricity he produced followed his will and stayed with the suits of armor they wore, shocking their bodies within, each string connecting to the next body until all three felt the agonizing and calm fury of Kaz Bloodhawk, bastard of the Bloodhawk and Thynderwing Tribes. A abomination upon each clan, a embarrassment. "
Where the hell is my stuff at you stupid cans of shit! " Kaz roared, the clothes he wore meant nothing to him in comparison to the shiv he carried, he never used weapons but that weapon was a memento, his greatest failure. He needed it back, Kaz cared not for valuables... All except for thus shiv, the only person who cared for him and nurtured him as he grew up. He needed it back and he will get his answers!