The Fire and The Black: Daemonfold [IC]

[PersonMan]

One of the guards at the gate nods, and heads into the house. The other coughs and shifts from foot to foot. "I, er, couldn't help but overhear," he says, seeming unsure which of the two is safest to speak to. "But, well, I've been working for the Overnis for a while, and...last I saw Jerrick, he didn't know much of Korvosa. I don't think he could do more than find his way from home to the Academae, or the docks."

[Genth]

"Typical.." Tsōlg says, nodding at the guard. "I liked Jerrick, but he was a spoiled whelp sometimes."

[Hazuki]

Solys, having never met Jerrick, has no opinion on the matter. Hardcheese, being an imaginary hedgehog, doesn't either.

[PersonMan]

After a few moments, the well-dressed man from the day before returns, smiling. "Good morning," he says with a nod. "Lord Overni will be with you in a moment, he's asked me to bring you to the garden," the man continues, looking between Solys and Tsōlg, then turning and gesturing for them to follow. He goes along a path that splits off from the one that took them into the house the first time, going around the side of the manor and leading to a small but well-tended garden, where Salvin is already sitting, looking down at a small cup of coffee with great intensity.

As the two approach, the well-dressed man steps forwards and Salvin looks up, standing and gesturing to the side. The well-dressed man bows and departs into the house quickly.

"I hope you aren't offended if I dispense with the pleasantries. What have you learned so far?" Salvin asks.

[Genth]

"Lord Overni." Tsōlg says, with a small nod of his head. "We've moderate reason to believe that Jerrick left under a perceived threat to him, potentially for severe breach of the school's laws, though we know not what the crime was. There is also reason to believe that he has left to a particular region of the Belkzen Hold."

[PersonMan]

Salvin nods, tapping one finger against the table silently for a few moments, lips pressed together. "Belkzen..." he mutters, and shakes his head. "An odd place to go. I would ask if you're sure he isn't simply hiding out somewhere in the city, but I'll trust your investigation," he says. A moment later, the door to the house opens and the well-dressed man emerges, carrying a small flat box about as large as his face.

"This is a portrait, of Jerrick. I had the copy made yesterday, so it would be ready if you needed to search for him in the city or elsewhere," Salvin explains. The man opens the box to reveal a well-made portrait of Jerrick, mostly his head, with a great deal of detail. "My daughter brought up the difficulty of only being able to vaguely describe him, and if he's gone somewhere far away it may mean you need to question people who have seen dozens of people since."

[Hazuki]

"Hod did you get such a good portrait of his face?" Solys asks. "And...can we carry it around with us? Then we can...show people and stuff."

[PersonMan]

"We had it made the last time he visited, while on a break," Salvin explains. "And that would be a good idea, yes," he says, nodding to the well-dressed man, who closes the box and steps forwards to hand it to Solys.

[Genth]

Tsōlg's features twitch slightly as Solys speaks, but gives his head a small shake, and nods to Overni. "What we need, is someone who is an expert at avoiding mages, who Jerrick could have approached to get him out of the city."

[PersonMan]

Spoiler: Zyn'era

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You've spent about twenty minutes inside the Overni residence; shortly after your arrival and escorting inside by one of the guards, you were met by a well-dressed man who brought you to another room, dominated by a large table and several chairs. For some reason, one of the doorways seemed to be undergoing remodeling, though none of the others are. Salvin Overni met you there, and explained that he would like for you to aid two others in searching for his missing son, as well as the terms of payment and similar.

Not long after, he left, asking you to wait briefly. Then the well-dressed man returned, to lead you through to the back of the residence, and out into the garden.

Salvin nods. "There is someone I know who should be able to speak to you on that. However..." he turns to the well-dressed man and nods, and he quickly goes inside. "You will have the aid of another. Apparently, she could not arrive yesterday due to losing her way while searching for something. She's said to be quite adept when it comes to social matters. That will hopefully help keep things...peaceful, as you continue your investigation."

A few moments later, the door opens again. This time, a young woman emerges from the house. She has a definitively foreign look to her, far paler than is normal for any but the more insular nobles of Korvosa, her long white hair only adding to the look of a bright, pale figure. Though she wears a robe, it follows her slim form well enough to make it clear. There's something a bit...odd about her, beyond her simply being foreign. It's hard to describe, but she seems just a bit removed from what a human should look like, though it isn't especially overt.

"This is Zyn'era," Salvin says, and gives her a nod. "Zyn'era, these are the other two working in this matter. Solys, and Tsōlg," he continues, indicating each in turn. "I was just telling you all about a contact to aid in your search. She has connections to the Cerulean Society, and should be able to dig up anything that can be found about someone looking to escape the Academae. Her name is Sherien - you can reach her by going to Old Korvosa and asking for 'a specific, rare fish no one has heard of'; then you mill about and wait for her to find you," Salvin explains. "I'm told she or one of her 'representatives' is there within minutes."

[3SecondCultist]

The word is 'introduction'.

Zyn'era steps forward when called upon by the staff, and walks into the room unhurriedly. That she has spent the past day or so tracking down the newest page of her Theorem - and in so doing, missed the very meeting she has traveled so far to be a part of - doesn't seem to bother her. The woman lets her platinum blonde hair flow freely, framing parts of her face in shadow even as the wavy locks fall nearly all the way down to her waist. Beneath her robe, the other can see a set of gleaming chain ringlets, and over her shoulder is a crossbow that doesn't look like it's seen all that much use. As she lets Salvin finish, she looks at the other two as though to get a measure of them. The large woman with the horns would certainly stand out in a crowd, although the Beyond has shown her stranger beings in her time there. The other is none other than a hobgoblin, which does surprise Zyn'era somewhat. We were not expecting this pair. Then again, we are unsure exactly what we were expecting.

Through a lens from afar, the Ones Beyond roil and writhe in anticipation. They have seen many things through the host - people, mountains, a part of a continent - but now she promises to show them something new. Their Herald waits in anticipation of being called forth, a singular purpose to cut through the veil that parts its realm and the one they watch. He has a name, gifted in the basic tongues of those living in that causal world: Abhaxal.

"Well met, and good day to you both. As Master Overni has stated, our name is Zyn'era. We have no last name or title, and would prefer it if you were to refer to us as such. We are unfamiliar with the inner workings of the Cerulean Society, but are confident that I will be able to find this 'Sherien' you mention." The others find that the half-elf's intonation of the common tongue is just slightly off. Her pronunciations are perfect, each word fully formed, but without any trace of a regional accent or lisp to it. And of course, there is her choice of plural pronoun. The entire time, her blue-black eyes watch the pair unblinkingly, as though gauging their reactions. "Although, we are afraid that our skills extend somewhat beyond speechcraft. We should very much hope not to use them, for all of our sakes. Ought we depart right away, or is there more pertinent information you would like to disclose, Master Overni?"

[Hazuki]

Solys doesn't react much one way or the other when Zyn arrives. Partially due to the fact that another pale Korvosan built like a leaf isn't terribly surprising, and partially because she opens her mouth to speak and finds the conversation has already shifted back to Salvin. She settles for a late nod at the woman's introduction.

[PersonMan]

Salvin shakes his head. "No," he says. "There may be more, information that becomes important in a new light, but for now - nothing else."

[3SecondCultist]

Seeing the quiet - one does not hear quiet, despite their best efforts to the contrary - Zyn'era nods her head slowly in Overni's direction. "Excellent. We will seek out Sherien at our earliest convenience, and should be able to report back to you before too long." The woman takes another look at the others standing in the room. The boar-woman has clearly judged her and found her to be not worth her time. She does not find us that interesting. She will in time, no doubt, but that is to be another matter entirely. The other two might not know it yet, but they are bound together on a trail of blood and emptiness.

"We must confess that we am not all that adapted to Korvosa as a city, as we have only been here for a single day. With that in mind, would one of you care to lead the way? We would love to help speak to Sherien when our group arrives at Old Korvosa, but until then it might be more prudent if one of you were guiding us."

[Genth]

Tsōlg's features darken slightly as he looks over the half elf, a quick, sharp appraisal of their new companion. With a jerk however, he turns back to Lord Overni. "Seriously? We say a random thing about fish and just mill around? How.. inefficient." he says, voice just above a growl. "Nevertheless. Thanks for the information, Lord Overni. We'll put it to use.". With that, the Hobgoblin gives the man a short bow, eyes never looking down for a moment, before turning to leave.

[Hazuki]

"Goodbye, Salvin." Solys says, and turns to leave with Tsolg. She strongly feels that their time in this investigation isn't going to get any easier.

[PersonMan]

Salvin shrugs. "I've been told it's typical, for their type," he says, before giving a nod as the group leaves.

Though the sun is high, the cool breeze of the day before is stronger, fighting against the sunlight's warmth. A poet could call it the struggle between the last bastions of summer and the growing autumn. But you have more important things on your mind than flowery ways to describe the weather. The way through Korvosa, going from the Heights and off to the crowded island of Old Korvosa, is fairly uneventful. Which is to say, the streets aren't especially crowded, no one stares for an unusually long time, and so forth. The trip takes you past the Academae's imposing walls and along the old fortification that, now pockmarked with small gates, doors and other compromising features, shows the signs of decades of refurbishing to fit the practical demands of a city full of moving people rather than that of one worried of an attack coming from its old heart. Taking the largest of the many bridges crossing over to Old Korvosa, you reach the bustling center of the fish market in all its crowded, noisy and - to be frank - smelly "glory".

It's there that one of you approaches a merchant's stand, inquiring about "a specific, rare fish no one has heard of". It's only a minute later that a cloaked figure approaches, eyes flickering over each of you for a moment before stepping closer, beginning to fidget the instant the motion is complete. The figure is androgynous, primarily due to the cloak and black wrappings around their face. Little is visible between the wrappings and the dark hair that hangs down in wild locks, apart from the eyes, which bear pupils far larger than that of a normal human.

"S-s-s - you're looking for Sherien, yeah?" The figure asks; you're fairly certain she's a woman, based on her voice, though the muffled and 'twitchy' nature of her words, spoken almost as if she were shivering while speaking, make it a touch less clear. "W-what-what for?"

[3SecondCultist]

A poet would not deign to describe Zyn'era walking down the Korvosan streets. The half-elf strides with an impossibly straight spine, only rarely breaking composure when it comes to looking straight ahead and keeping her mind on target. She happily speak to the other two members of the group, although they are but pleasantries and not worth repeating. When it becomes clear that neither Solys or Tsōlg are interested in carrying on a blithe conversation, Zyn'era returns to silence. Perhaps we ought to have simply remained quiet. And yet, introspection does not become us. She knows exactly where the pathways of her thoughts will lead, if allowed to spiral inwards. That place belongs in her dreams, and not in the bright sun of the day.

When the trio arrives at the stand, Zyn'era is the one to take point on speaking. It is she who offers up Lord Salvin's only slightly ridiculous code phrase, and when the being in the rags approaches them, it is she who speaks up first. "Perhaps we might be able to speak away from prying eyes? Given the potentially sensitive nature of the task which we have been assigned, it might be more prudent to move away from a crowded thoroughfare."

Once that is done, the woman in white continues. "To be entirely transparent, we are looking for somebody who tried to escape the Academae: a young man by the name of Jerrick Overni." She waits for one of the others to produce a portrait of the man, since she has not taken the liberty of holding onto it. "We were informed by our contact that Sherien might have information on those who were looking to escape the campus, potentially due to breaking some of the cardinal rules of that organization. Are we in luck? Does Sherien have the information we seek, or might we be better served by looking elsewhere?"

Spoiler: OOC

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I'm not sure if a Diplomacy roll is needed here, but I'm going to go ahead and roll one up anyhow.

Diplomacy: (1d20+10)[27]

[PersonMan]

The fidgeting woman's eyes widen greatly when Zyn'era mentions stepping somewhere less crowded, but after a moment of silence spent shifting foot to foot, briefly looking to Tsōlg and Solys, she nods, leading the group into the mouth of a nearby alleyway. Once Zyn'era begins again, she leans against a wall, arms crossed beneath her cloak, one leg continuously wiggling as she taps her foot against the ground. She stares directly at the pale woman as long as she's speaking, though her eyes flick off to look at Solys, Tsōlg or something else any time there's the slightest pause. She looks at the portrait as it's revealed, nodding quickly after a brief moment to encourage Zyn'era to continue.

"Yes, yesyes. Sherien has it, she knows - she knows it. Anyone, going, going, like that. Yes," she says. Her foot-tapping intensifies as she pauses for a moment, a brief nod turning into a rocking of her entire upper body. "You-you all. Come on, along, to her - I'll show you. It's, fine comewith, I'm going, anyways," she says, turning to look down the alleyway and taking a quick step, looking back and giving an almost frantic wave of her arm to indicate you should follow. Then she goes again, taking quick, crisp steps further away from the main street.

Following the woman brings you away from the loud, busy streets and through a series of turns along the often dark, generally slim and mostly filthy alleyways leading through Old Korvosa's stacked ramshackle dwellings. Overhead, small bridges connect some of the rooftops, often little more than a wooden board extending between the two, and as you go you catch glimpses of figures jumping over the gaps, casting brief shadows over the alleys below. Every so often she looks back and gestures again before continuing further. Eventually, she stops at a door that looks just a bit sturdier than the others nearby, and after a bit of fidgeting pulls out a key, opening the door and stepping in with another hurried wave.

Inside is a small, bare room that seems like some kind of entry room; two doors lead out ahead, one directly opposite the entrance and the other on the right side. A pleasant smell hangs in the air - some sort of incense is burning somewhere, and a bit of the smoke is visible near the burning candles on the wall that provide lighting. Despite being situated where it is, the place seems almost luxurious, with deep crimson walls and fine furniture visible through the opened door on the opposite wall.

"I'm - it's me, and, I'm back. I-I brought, people, Sherien," the cloaked woman says, heading straight for the door on the right and opening it, stepping into the next room, leaving her cloak in a pile on the floor of the entry room.

The sound of a book closing comes from the room, and entering it provides a view of what seems just like a noble's study. A bookshelf, well-made furniture, an expensive-looking rug. Even magical lighting, in the form of a glowing chandelier just below the ceiling. Sitting in a large, comfortable-looking chair is a crimson-haired woman dressed in fine clothes, currently turned away from you to smile at the formerly-cloaked woman who had led you here. Just in front of her is a small table with a small platter, goblet and thick tome on it; the seated woman takes a small amber lozenge and holds it up for the dark-haired one, who takes it with care despite her visible eagerness and tosses it into her mouth before stepping to the side.

"Hello. I am, as you have probably guessed by now, Sherien," the seated woman says. "Based on the fact that you're here, you're looking for information," she continues, looking over the group with a single raised eyebrow. "What is it you'd like to know? ...And how can you pay?"

Spoiler: OOC

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I couldn't fit this in above without it being awkward, so here's a description of the no-longer-cloaked lady once she's, well, decloaked.

Standing beside Sherien, the black-haired woman continues to fidget, though there's a soft smile on her face and she seems to be looking over at the wall, rather than looking around constantly as she was before. She's wearing a black-colored chain shirt and carries a short sword as well as several daggers at her sides; she seems to match the stereotype of the knife-wielding, acrobatic shingle-runner many in Korvosa think of when they hear of thieves in the poorer parts of the city.

Additionally, the woman's lips are a bright crimson, though the edges are a much more natural color.

Spoiler: Tsōlg

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Tsōlg realizes that the woman's lips don't show any signs of having been made up; given the complete lack of smudging or other signs of having just been wrapped in fabric, he is fairly certain the color isn't from a simple use of cosmetics.

[Genth]

Narcotics. Obviously Tsōlg thinks to himself as he folds his arms, looking this Sherien up and down. "You can call me Tsōlg. We're here for information, as you rightly put it. A friend of ours is skipping his schoolwork. Is worried about getting a detention from the headmaster, so decided to go for a small holiday. Any ideas where he went?"

[Hazuki]

Solys looms as menacingly as she can, given the size of the room, and her general lack of active menace. The wonder at exactly how they're planning to pay does come to her mind, and if these people are anything like the people she thinks they're like, she can tell she'll feel uncomfortable with anything that isn't coin.

[PersonMan]

Sherien smiles at Tsōlg's description. "That's an interesting way to describe it," she says. "Jerrick Overni is the one you're looking for, yes? I can tell you what I know, in exchange for a favor, from you all. And I'm willing to add conditions such as 'not crime'."

[Genth]

Tsōlg shrugs. "Fine." he growls, voice low.

[3SecondCultist]

When the emissary leads the small group inside, Zyn'era cannot help but look around with some curiosity. Whatever is going on behind her dark irises is unclear, but the outward interest is plain to see. The interest only deepens when they come face to face with the red haired lady that their guide refers to as Sherien. The offering of the lozenge similarly enraptures the half-elf, who tilts her head slightly to the side as she considers something else. So distracted is she by watching the act of consumption that she appears to miss the exchange of words that follows.

It is the naming of the Overni boy that brings Zyn'era back into the fold. She wonders briefly why Sherien would bother asking them what they would like to know if she is already aware of their interest in the young scholar. We are all prone to drama - it would appear that she is no exception. Surely, we can forgive her a bit of showing off. A comfortable sloughing of iridescent blue-black muscles reverberates through Zyn'era's skull, making the pale hairs on her arms stand on end. It is not an unpleasant feeling, and she allows herself to revel in it for a moment before speaking up to this contact.

"We would accept your bargain, Sherien. But know that we only speak for ourselves, not the two others standing here. We also would counsel caution: binding oneself to us in a covenant does not always work out favorably for all parties. That is not meant to be taken as a threat, merely a disclaimer of future risk. We would also appreciate the courtesy of at least some advance warning before calling in your end of the bargain from us." The white-haired acolyte then bows her head in acquiescence to the information broker's demand. If at all possible, Zyn'era hopes to take on the brunt of the payment herself, so as to avoid those walking with her getting too involved. But she does not say the words out loud: that would be inviting contrariness.

[Hazuki]

"Depends on the favor." Solys says. You can do a poorly-explained favor for somebody you respect, or a well-explained favor for somebody you don't, but a vague idea won't do at all.

[PersonMan]

Sherien looks intently at Zyn'era for a moment, but nods as she finishes. "I can promise it won't be anything...unethical," she says. "Or law-breaking. Or involving deep dark secrets you know they would hate you for if they found out. Just, something simple," she says.

[Hazuki]

"If...it's something simple...then it's something we can do now." Solys says. "Picking up brunch or fetching your new shoes or...something. Nobody has all their errands done at this time of day."

[PersonMan]

"Except the thing I'm asking you to do isn't ready to be done yet. If something comes up, and I need someone to do it, and it'd suit you, I'll ask you to," Sherien says. "I don't have a pile of things lying about in need of doing."

[Hazuki]

"Really." Solys stares at the woman. "A woman who lives in the slums and wants for nothing. Irori would envy your humility."

[PersonMan]

"What I want isn't of your concern, only what I ask for," Sherien replies. "And you'd be surprised just how comfortable Old Korvosa can be," she continues. "But - do you accept, or is the price suspiciously low for your tastes? You can also just give me fifty gold coins if you prefer to stay unattached."