[Legends of the North] [Zyers] Wizard in the Tower

Feantari

Feantari

Water Sprite
Zyers had been poring through the details of the evidence for days now with the occasional help from Jylis. The two of you have managed to piece together nearly every detail of the purpose of the plates and the talismans, but where they came from and where they were headed remains a mystery. Sinok has been roaming the streets shaking down his sources, and is supposed to be back this evening for an official meeting of your talon.


Just then a loud pop from beyond the door to your study disrupts your concentration.
 
Zyers pulls a rope that rings a bell elsewhere in the officer's barracks. He expects a page to come shortly that he can instruct to investigate the sound. He then goes back to re-reading the letter responding to his inquiry of a fellow demonologist regarding the nature of the talismans that had yet to help discover the origin or destination of the shipment.

I'm trying to convey the proper 'top of the world' Dragon-Blooded attitide, feel free to have things further impose themselves on me.
 
Most Esteemed Ferem Zyers,


I haven't seen any new shops opening up lately, and nothing too out of the ordinary in my clientel, though I will admit they are all out of the ordinary in some way. I share your concerns about these talismans though. No sane thaumaturge would summon those demons with just a simple talisman for protection. I fear that whomever was trying to smuggle them in is inviting death to their customer. In any case, I will keep my eyes open for signs of anyone collecting the other necessary ingredients for a summoning or other demonic contact rituals. Of particular interest to someone trying to summon these things would be the last drop of a mortal's blood and the blood from the bite of an animal that has turned on it's master. Beyond that and you have exhausted my knowledge of such things. I hope I have been helpful.


Your humble servant,


Nathen Vallence


Nathen's Curios and Crystals


27 5th street


The page runs in just as you finish his left side covered in some sort of strange blue-brown goo that slowly drips down threatening your carpet. "Sir?"

Three die stunt for creating useful people! Doesn't actually apply to anything, but you get the 1xp.

:) Actually, I'll let you apply it later on, make sure I don't forget.
Oh, go ahead and make up to 2 nights of WP rolls using your primary virtue since I totally failed to mention that earlier. You should be at full mote pools.
 
Zyers drops the letter on his desk, his face contorting in disgust. "Page! What is that substance on your uniform?!"


Zyers stands up sharply, giving shooing motions to keep the boy out of the room while walking briskly to the door.
 
The page gapes at you and retreats out the door. When you reach the door you can see through to the study your students use. At one end of a table is a plate with some sort of... plantlike thing sprouting out of it spewing a rain of goo over the table. All of the students are covered in the stuff and most of them are trying to argue as quietly as possible. A few of them are trying to work a large brazier from the balcony to cover the.. thing.
 
Zyers takes a moment to take in the scene. He remembers some similar incidents in his own childhood and has to suppress a smile and put on the parental Dragon-Blooded face.


Zyers points at the students carrying the brazier "Put that down." He then puts his hands on his hips and glares at the messy students near the plant. "What have you done with the bonzai?"
 
The two drop the brazier with a gong and all the other students turn to you with terrified expressions.


The plant, stalk, thing gurgles in the background.


Slowly Tempul steps forward, "Sir, we, I, thought... I could summon a plant... ff.ffr-" She starts crying into her goo covered hands. The rest of the students mercilessly stand silent biting their tongues and lips to observe proper decorum.
 
This is a demon? I don't know the lineage.


Zyers hides his curiosity behind a stern look. "Tempul, you will one day summon any slave you need from Malfeas. But not until you have the knowledge to prevent such embarassements. Give me a full report of this thing's lineage by next Firesday."


"All of you. You are now assigned to clean up this mess." He points at a slightly older girl from a well-bred household "You, Ferem Pastuea Mila, are in charge. The task will be finished when no goo remains and all the damaged books have been replaced." In response to the onlooking children's pained expressions he adds. "The lesson is that no matter who in your group makes the mess, you all get the responsibility to clean it up. It's as true in society as the battlefield."

Are any of these children Dragon-Blooded? What professiorial responsibilities does an officer of the Cheraki legion have to cadets? Is there a response or should I exit my character?
 
They aren't really children, though a few of them are pretty young for this training. They are your students, future members of your talon probably. It is your responibility to mold them into useful members of the talon if you can and also cultivate knowledge to help strengthen Cherak. There are thaumaturges of some note in the community, but you are one of the few sorcerors in Cherak, and one of two who belong to Cherak. The other is an older woman who trained at the heptagram at great expense to her branch of the family (the costs nearly bankrupted her father, and experiences with her training are actually one of the reasons you probably had such a hard time finding funding for your research). She manages elementals and works more to maintain protections and enchantments. She does not hold a possition in the army however.


None of this group are exalts, but there are hopes for the younger ones. Probably 3 or 4 who would still be considered of a reasonable age, out of.. lets say 11... most of them are from house ferem and claim dragon blooded somewhere in the family tree.


The plant thing gurgles uncaring through your speach. Tempul gasps, "but, I don't even know what it is!"


The others look from you to the plant and back to you wondering how to start cleaning up whatever it is. One of the older students takes a sword and pokes at it tentatively while Mila for her part sends some out to get buckets.
 
Zyers softens up a bit and gives a terse smile while keeping well away from the goo from the plant thing "That makes both of us, Tempul. What you don't know can kill you, especially with summoning. The uninformed summoner will recieve the closest demon to their need, not what they asked for. The art of summoning is matching need to request."


While Mila chirps orders and Tempul soaks in Zyers' message, Zyers pulls Tempul aside.

Got it on age range. I assume like 11-18 or so? I'd like to take this cadet aside and ask how the summoning came about. Who provided the reagents, that sort of thing. Could be connected with the talismans, or at least is a breach in logistics. Normally summons are completed at midnight but I believe it's morning?
 
She nods submissively and follows you to a table in the corner where she begins wiping goo from her face. You can tell she is biting her tongue at her outburst and looks on the verge of crying again.


The students seem to have managed to get the thing to stop squirting by hacking it to bits, which now cover the table. Whatever it is it isn't disappearing as a demon would.

gah! Tempul was a chicka in your fiction, this is the same Tempul that appears here. Haunt you with your Steal blatantly from your fictions I will!
 
Once back in his office, Zyers questions Tempul further.


She's already admitted ignorance to the nature of the beast, so I'll start with the why and how


"Tempul, tell me, where did you get the reagents to summon that thing? What was the purpose?"

I'm assuming she's a thaumaturgical summoner, not an emeral circle sorcerer as a cadet. I'm assuming Zyers would be familiar with her personelle file. Am I wrong? Also, your call on any rolls I need to make or not make, social join combat, ect.
 
"Uhhh, reagents.. the brass shavings from the cabinet. I figured you know maybe a plant from there would need brass... and.. erm.. some of my blood just a little you know." Tempul is scarlet with embarrassment. "I just wanted to see if I could you know? I didn't really think of a purpose for a plant.. just.. proof?"

If you want to swap to social combat we can do that. She seems to be cooperating at the moment at least though.


Int + Occult to see if any of this makes sense
 
Her logic is sound enough, if a bit simple, but alone that shouldn't have done anything. There must have been some other catalyst. Blood can be powerful so it could have something to do with her supernatural heritage, but even with the results demonstrated in front of you it seems like a bit of a stretch.
 
Remembering how much work he recently gave her, Zyers decides to end the questioning session early. "Tempul, you are dismissed."


Zyers pulls his mirror out of his desk drawer and calls upon his personal Essense to make it a window to the spirit realm. He then re-enters the room where the clean-up session is ongoing. He looks around for the hearth spirit, the one most likely interested in the goings on of its domain.

Activating Spirit-Detecting Mirror Technique. Hoping to catch the spirit of this room and have it tell me what it saw of the summoning. Perhaps the supernatural observer saw something all the students, even the summoner herself, missed that would add up to a successful summoning ritual where it shouldn't have succeeded. A ritual for whatever non-demon thing this is that confuses Zyers. Will calculate Essence/WP ect. when I've more time.
 
The room is abuzz with spirit activity. Least gods of many larger objects are peaking out and watching. It looks like the table is trying to comfort the plate which had just been hacked at a bit. Above the hearth a smokey spirit with a warm glow sits alternately looking worried and chuckling at this or that. You've officed in this tower long enough to know her form and name, Hushed East Ember, or Ember or Embie, or infernal ember get yourself back here and light. She waves at your mirror and smiles at you.
 
Zyers speaks up, talking to someone behind him as he is, in a supplicating tone in Old Realm the language of spirits "Hushed East Ember, my apologies for allowing your domain to be shaken in such a way. My cadets mean no harm I assure you. Their current efforts should be considered praise of your realm."


Zyers has overcome the sillyness inherient to speaking to a mirror surrounded by people who can't see who you're speaking to, and ignores the poorly hidden stares and evesdropping of the cadets. He continues "I'm hoping you can provide information once again to this humble Dragon-Blooded. Did you see the ritual?"
 
"Oh yes. I mean, not at first, sir. I thought it was just more researching you know how it is around here. Why just last week someone tried to catalyze a something or other in me. I say. Oh, uh, so she was there at the table and.. well.. I only noticed when she starting using blood. That's serious, yeah? Well, nothing really happened, but then... well, her hair did it. Got stuck to the plate a bit and then bam and goo flying. Poor dears were quite shocked. Oh, and I think there is a slight crack forming up here so nice if someone could take a look sometime."
 
Zyers lowers his mirror, turn around and in a completely serious and engrossed manner inspects a crack in the mortar of the brick fireplace. "I will alert the relevant maintenance personnel accordingly." Stepping back and addressing the wall face-first without the aid of his mirror Zyers continues "Your aid in this matter will be remembered."


The cadets hide their stares from Zyers as he turns to leave, searching out Tempul again.

Could you set the scene that I find Tempul in/at for next post?


As an aside, did you ever play L5R? Do you recall the spell 'importune'? I'm thinking of fixing the crack in that context.
 
Walking out of the common room Zyers decends two floors to the student's chambers. Part way around the squat tower he comes to a door with a blue ribbon bow pinned to it bellow an iron name tag that reads 'Ferem Tempul'.
 
Zyers gives an authoritative knock on the door which his inferior answers within an acceptable timeframe. "Tempul," Zyers starts "may I come in?"


After a nod of approval Zyers takes the only seat in the spartan quarters, at her desk. He picks up her brush, pulls a few hairs out and pockets them, then sets it down, making no effort to hide his actions. "Tell me about your father again. What is his domain and station?"

Her father is the spirit. I don't think I defined him more than that in my fiction.
 
The room is clean despite its lack of many furnishings or amenities. A cool draft seems to move somewhere along the far wall that serves as the outer wall of the tower. The small fireplace is empty of fire. Tempul takes a seat on the small bed covered in a regulation blanket decorated with little bows of blue and pink ribbon. She looks nervous and a bit mortified at your actions and questions.


"I.. what? Um, I never knew my father. My mom said he was a northern spirit, but.. I don't really know much. She wasn't educated about such things like I am. I.. I know it was out in the woods and my mother was overseeing some workers.. I guess you can figure out the rest. She doesn't like to talk about it except when she's had a few too many drinks and I hardly believe her then, but please it's nothing against her she does her duty to the house she's a good woman!"
 
Zyers, thirsty


"That is all, Tempul."


This hair might be all the answer I need. But if it isn't, there's only a few taverns her mother would frequent. I'll start tonight at the Furious Squid.

I gave it a while but just couldn't think of anything dramatic.
 
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