The Commissioner and a doctor arrive at Irvin's house to deal with the aftermath. They walk in on the tail end of the discussion between Yolo, Lindy, and Irvin.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Start Date & Time | 2024-09-01 20:50 |
| Previous Scene | [[017. Threes Company, Fours a Crowd]] |
| Current Chaos Factor | 5 |
| Scene Type | Expected |
Relevant Entities
[[Yolo]]
[[Lindiwie Kimura|Lindy]]
[[Irvin Albrecht]]
[[Commissioner Ayla]]
Scene
Lindy
So, how did a mage end up out on the street? I thought the college found you placement before you left.
Yolo
You never really leave the college, even when you graduate. I... had a falling out with the woman I was apprenticed to, and the guild.
Lindy
Over?
Yolo
I wanted to learn magic. She wanted me to make baubles and balance the books. There's an expectation that you'll be put upon, but it's supposed to dovetail with your education. I spent the whole of my days balancing ledgers, enchanting baubles, and watching others conduct their studies.
Irvin
But enchanting is a sort of magic, isn't that what you were sent there to study?
Yolo
No, not really. Magic isn't like pottery; you can't hone your craft by casting the same spell over and over seeking perfection. You need to try new things, channel different powers, read new thoughts. I was stagnating.
she sighs
Game
- Lindy
- I want to roll perception to get a hint at what Yolo is holding back
- GME - Difficulty 3
- Trained in perception, I'll spend an effort, giving difficulty 1, rolled a 7, strong hit
- She was put there to prevent her from progressing
Lindy
You were placed with them as a punishment?
Yolo
No... not exactly. It...
she shakes her head
It's complicated. The college is split into schools of magic. Different ways of n a thinking, different approaches. Still, there are commonalities. Magic relies on gathering energy and channeling it through a conduit. The schools differ in energy sources and conduits, but those are still prescribed. I was interested in exploring different ones, and that was...
she purses her lips
frowned upon.
Game
- GME
- Does Irvin know of any other magical sources?
- 50/50 Yes
- Does Lindy
- 50/50 yes
- Does Irvin know of any other magical sources?
Irvin
Earth, air, fire, water, light, dark
Yolo
shakes her head no
Lindy
Those are all common ones anyway. Life & Death? Nature?
Yolo
I was interested in soul magic, life & death as you put it, but that's actually not unheard of. Rare, perhaps. Most people don't like interacting with the dead, but I always found them quite interesting. Might have been why I took to archaeology so well.
Lindy
Well, what then? If the college condones necromancy of all things, what could you...
Narrator
There's a knock on the door. Irvin rises to answer the caller. He looks out the peephole in the door and sees Commissioner Ayla, a doctor, and the police officer from before. He moves to throw the bolt and open the door, but his arm doesn't cooperate.
Yolo
Sorry Irvin, I didn't realize it was as bad as all that. COMING!
she stands up and jogs to the door, lifts the bar, and opens the door gently
Irvin
Commissioner, Doctor, good to see you. Constable, thank you so much. You're a life saver.
The constable and the doctor blanche a bit. Irvin winks.
Yolo
chuckling
Well, I thought it was funny anyway.
Irvin
Thank you, won't you two come in and sit down? Yolo, mind getting the door?
Narrator
The commissioner and the doctor sweep in to the kitchen, taking Irvin with him. When they get near the room, the commissioner stops dead in her tracks.
Ayla
through clenched teeth Ms. Kimura. Give me one reason I shouldn't slap you in irons right now.
Lindy
I'll give you three
She starts counting on her finger
First, I was here saving your boy.
She points to Irvin
Second, we're all after Lee, and I know how he runs his organization.
Finally, I never broke the law
Lindy smiles sweetly
and you'd never use your position to vent your spleen.
Ayla
Ayla is still for a moment, then starts back in. In the background, the doctor attends to Irvin.
Never broke the law? You kidnapped thirteen men. There are four corpses sitting right here with us.
Lindy
I think you'll find that there was properly filed bounty paperwork in each case. And these men attacked us first. Yolo and Irvin can both attest to it. You may not like my work madam, but that hardly makes it illegal.
She sighs
If it's any consolation, I don't much like my old line of work anymore.
Ayla
Old line of work? What, just like that? You worked for Lee for years. What changed?
Lindy
I could stomach helping a petty man with his petty ambitions for coin, but his ambitions didn't stay petty. He's got plans that could destabilize the Nation of Zeflein.
Ayla
And why would you care about that?
Lindy
Well, as it turns out, I live in the Nation of Zeflein, and I do like it here.
Irvin
nudging her gently And.... and Lindy...
Lindy
She sighs
And he's only in a position to cause such harm because of what I've done, and I want a chance at making amends for the past.
Ayla
Ayla sits for a moment and stares at the three of them. The doctor stops sewing on Irvin, hands him some medication and a note on its use, then excuses himself. She looks at Irvin, who shrugs and nods, then pats his friend Lindy on the back.
And you mummer, how do you enter into all of this?
Yolo
Quirk of fate. Three of those men,
Yolo points at three of the four bodies, each in turn
attacked a man who'd bought me breakfast at The Bangers and Mash. I created a distraction, and we got away.
Ayla, interjecting:
That was you who shot up The Bangers and Mash?Yolo
I fired one shot. One! Through a window at a wooden pillar to avoid hurting anyone, and I paid for the trouble before I started it. They were gonna kill Dax! Or at least rough him up.
Lindy
laughing You paid for the damage before you caused it? Oh that's rich. No wonder that crazy bastard took a shine to you.
Ayla
Daxter Biggby, I might have known. And where's he now?
Lindy
immediately stops laughing
Yolo
He... he didn't make it. He died retrieving an artifact at Lee's request. A delay in the process is why those thugs were shaking him down.
Yolo reaches into her bag and drags out the Artifact Dax Died To Get
This little bauble, and the gems you see here, are what Lee sent us to get.
Ayla
Mhmm, and so you got them, so what's the problem?
Yolo
Well, it's what it does, and who else wants it. I got attacked by some strange men on my way out of the ruins. They had a cross-like tattoo on their forearm. One of them followed me into Knathton and attacked me in the inn.
Game
- GME
- Has Ayla gotten news to look out for that?
- Likely, yes
Ayla
I'd heard about that, but the body in Knathon isn't public knowledge... what is the artifact. Why did you come back here with it if you didn't mean to give it to Lee?
Yolo
Well... it kind of... makes liches?
Game
- GME
- Does Ayla believe in liches?
- Unlikely, no
Ayla
There hasn't been a report of a lich in hundreds of years, and even those aren't exactly credible. What makes you think the artifact is so dangerous?
Yolo
It's got a powerful magical aura, and it drips with soul magic. That and some of the glyphs I saw in the ruins. There are rubbings in that journal there.
Ayla
How do you know it's magical? I don't see a guild signet on you. You're no mage...
Irvin
I've seen her cast spells. It's how she did for them.
Ayla
Well, where's your focus then. Casting implements are tightly controlled by the guild.
Yolo
I...
I don't use one as such.
Ayla
Ha! Pull the other one, it's got bells on. What's your game girl. What's really going on here?
Irvin
But I saw her. I saw her cast spells Ayla! Sure as I'm sitting here. Hell, if she hadn't, I wouldn't be sitting here. They sent four damned men.
Lindy
I've... no doubt that I saw her cast spells as well, though I doubt I'm more convincing than Irvin. You really don't have a wand? Something sewn into your cloak?
Ayla
They need something. Spellbooks, wands, circles of metal laid in the floor. There's got to be a conduit.
Yolo
Looking at Lindy
Remember how I said my apprenticeship didn't work out? The more problematic students get assigned to 'Mad Maddie'.
Game
- GME
- Does Ayla know [[Lady Eadriel]] by reputation?
- Nearly Certain , Yes
Ayla
standing up slowly, placing her hand on her sword
Gods, Lady Eadriel? What did you do?
Yolo
I am my conduit.
Game
- GME
- Do they recognize the importance of that?
- Ayla very likely, yes
- other two 50/50, yes,
- Lindy being an extreme yes
- All three snap and look at Yolo. They look suddenly uneasy. Irvin shifts in his seat. Ayla's hand grips the handle of her blade more tightly. Lindy is the first to speak.
Lindy
A mage that can't be disarmed... you'd think they'd be thrilled, try to replicate it, want to study
Yolo, interrupting
she stands up roughly, slapping her hands on the table
THEY DID STUDY ME LINDY
she hangs her head in the silence, then sits back down. There's a quiet sound of metal sliding as Ayla re-sheathes her sword
...I wasn't a person, I was a phenomenon.
she buries her head in her hands
Game
- Ayla wants to comfort Yolo and ask her to perform some magic
- GM - Difficulty 4
- Eased 2 by specialization, and I'll spend 2 effort
Ayla
Can you show us? I believe you, but I would see such a rarity.
Yolo:
looks around at the group, who are watching her. Her eyes trail over to the bodies lined up in the foyer.
Well... we know who most of them are, and what they were here to do, but not why they are here. Let's see if we can't find out.
Yolo walks over to Lee's toughs and works the jaw of the first one open. She reaches to her side, and produces a dagger.
Ayla
What are you doing to that body?
Yolo
I'm going to try and repeat their last conversation. I need a material component.
working the knife into the mouth
Just a part of the tongue... he won't miss it anyway.
Yolo returns to the kitchen table. She takes her robe off. Underneath, she's wearing only a doublet. Her arms and hands are covered in tattoos. Running lines down her arms, showing wear each of the joints were. Ayla crosses herself. Lindy looks at Yolo's arms, following the line of the tattoos.
Lindy
They're... pretty. Did... the guild..?
Yolo
Yeah.
Yolo takes the dagger back out and cuts into the meat of her hand before her thumb and forefinger. She spreads the blood on her face, from the corner of her mouth down to her neck, where the tattoos start. She puts the bit of tongue she cut out into her mouth and chews. Her eyes roll back in her head, showing solid whites.
Game
- GME
- It's not bene a hour, difficulty 2
- Yolo
- I'll use two effort to succeed.
- GME
- Was [[Lee Rensler]] going to give the artifact to [[Lady Eadriel]]?
- 50/50, yes
Yolo, in the voice of Lee's head tough:
Hush up idiot, you want them to hear us?! Boss'll be thrilled. Sent us to take care of a church boy, and we find Dax's little hanger on and a rat in our midst to boot. Try not to kill 'em though, we need to know where the boss' artifact got to. Mad Maddie's breathing down our neck and the boss is getting antsy.
Yolo's eyes roll back over, she vomits up the tongue and a small amount of blood.
Lindy
Lindy produces a handkerchief and binds Yolo's hand, then stands and fetches some water.
Ayla
strokes her chin, deep in thought
So, a pure coincidence? Even so... lucky in its own way. Lee Rensler calling a hit on an officer for refusing to take bribes is a serious crime.
Irvin
We just need to get one of the magistrate's mages in here to do the same thing?
Ayla
Assuming they can?
Looking at Yolo expectantly
Yolo
Yolo nods
Yes
Lindy
Looks like Lee doesn't know what he's got his hands on either, which works in our favor.
Ayla
Constable, I know the shift's run long, but can I get you to go down to city hall and summon an official recorder?
Constable
Right away ma'am.
Yolo
turns white as a sheet
I'd... rather not be here when a recorder from the guild arrives.
Ayla
I can see why you'd feel that way, but I'm afraid you're part of this now. In for a penny, in for a pound.
Yolo
Yolo moves to run, but is too exhausted from the fight and the spell to get up.
Ayla
I'll see that you remain outside of the control of the guild for as long as you choose. They aren't so powerful that they can imprison a person without cause.
Lindy
This is the help we wanted Yolo. This is our only path to stopping Lee and destroying that thing.
Yolo
Did you forget the mages guild is after that thing too? Didn't you hear what the dead man said? He mentioned the artifact directly. You don't think the recorder has orders from the guild to find the artifact?
Ayla
Could be Lady Eadriel is acting alone.
Yolo
That's a big gamble.
Irvin
If it's a dangerous as you say, surely they won't suffer it to exist.
Ayla
puts her foot down harshly
Have a care Irvin!
sighs
What my clumsy friend means is that you will certainly need their aid in destroying it. Who else has the facilities and tools?
Yolo
sighs, defeated
Ending Summary
Added Threads
Closed Threads
Added Characters
Removed Characters
End of Scene Checklist
Update PCsMark Arc ProgressAward XP, Cyphers, Items, etc.
Update FactionsObjectives if faction objective was touchedRandom fate roll if not
Update Threads & Character Lists- Set up next scene template
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Next Scene | [[019. Hard Evidence at the End of a Hard Day]] |
| Next Expected Scene | The court recorder arrives and investigates the bodies, expected |
| Ending Chaos Factor | 4 |
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