Chapter 1: Interesting Times

[The Fuzz]

Davore





Davore offers a brief bow to all, greeting his fellow Infernal first.


"Scholar who lurks in the stacks, good morning and good hunting."


"Magus Harrington, Mr. Bedwyr. A pleasure to see you both."


He smiles, an expression carved very precisely.


"I believe we are missing only our arachnid sister."

 

[ZombieKitty]

Cecilia





Cecilia arches an eyebrow. Was that a H he placed in front of her last name? Perhaps a slip of the tongue, she simply smiles and decides to ignore it this once. After all, was it not considered early morning for those who resided here?


"So it seems. I do hope she'll not be long." She comments in relation to their missing group member. "Had you a pleasant evening, Mr. Davore? Or...should I refer to you as 'Doctor'?" She asked politely.

 

[Silvertongued]

• The Library Entrance
• Andran's Room

• 
  
  
  The servant nods to Q's demands, pursing the task past those arriving, and vanishing out of the Library.
  
  
  Hrune holds the coffee she had received from Davore mechanically, having taken the steaming mug with that same expressionless aplomb. While you haven't actually seen her raise the pale patterned china to her lips, it does seem to be gradually getting emptier as time passes.
  
  
  Harrison, the servant assigned to and accompanying the Magus Arrington, is a little more lively. While he hasn't breached decorum so far as to attempt smalltalk, he has seemed to be rather blatantly cheerful, as compared to the more resolutely statuesque servants you've seen about.
  
  
  Where Mal had once stood, frozen in a rictus of petrification, is disturbingly bare, as if the events that occurred yesterday had been naught but a bad dream. The table he had been sitting at was wiped clean, no trace of the items he had been working on, no books laid out for later examination.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  @Teh Frixz The clatter of brass rings against hollow curtain rails is the first thing you notice amidst the darkness, followed instantly by a flood of bright crimson light from the window.
  
  
  The dark bulk of Phillip silently picked his way through the mess of "perfectly organized and cataloged items" strewn across the floor, over and under the several tensile strands of web that held notes and recent meals alike, and finally to the massed bundle of sheets, blankets and duvets that served as Andran's nest.
  
  
  A large platter was in his hands, with two items on it. One was a bowl of fruit, such as oranges, bananas, kiwis, all things with thick skins and the like. The other was much smaller, subtler, but no less attractive. It was an Yrvan playback device, a simpler, mechanical alternative to a Heartwrights memory stone. This one, to your trained eyes, had a certain familiarity about it that only brought your father to mind.
  
  
  

 

[Teh Frixz]

Several dozen webs, invisible and weightless crisscrossed the floor. Even the most gentle steps could not escape their ever so slight presence. As they went taught, Andran's eyes snap awake. A fly in her web it wasn't.


Phillip stood above her, arms outstretched with his platter. Instantly focused on the objects at hand, she sits up. Her legs supporting her frame easily. "Thannk youu Fillip" She speaks in the common tongue of mortals before gesturing at the door. The bowl is placed in her lap and she activates the device, eager to take possession of the data inside.

 

[Silvertongued]

• Andran's Room
• Andran's Message

• 
  
  
  Phillip nods, arching his eyebrows as he bows and about turns, leaving the room without a sound.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  "Andran, my child, my gilded arachnid, my little girl, it's Daddy here~
  
  
  I do so hope that those odd Hulbrad are treating my little girl right, and that you are in the lap of luxury that you so rightfully deserve, and that I have been extensively paying for.
  
  
  But... about that. You see, my little money spider, the Board has been making some noise about these investments, and I'm starting to agree with them. For all the wealth that I'm directing your way, there has been precious little return on your end, and the few topics of "research" or likeminded devices you have sent back have been... well, let's just say that they're not exactly broad avenues for development or further investment.
  
  
  What I'm trying to say, oh darling jewel of my hoard, is that while I do love you as much as a man can love his sole progeny, you do need to start producing results. The Board isn't picky, they don't particularly care what it is that you send back, so long as it's something that can be developed for further wealth. It can be extensive research information, a reliable source of physical goods, prime real estate, even some sort of unique magical artifact, so long as it's something.
  
  
  If you can't produce adequate results within the next six months.... well, I'm sorry, my beautiful child, but the Board has advised me to cut you off from further funding. Anything you want, you'll have to pay for yourself.
  
  
  I'll keep in contact Andran, and I fully expect magnificent results should you apply yourself~"
  
  
  

 

[PixelWitch]

Cled


The Orc snuffled, scritching his nose, "So what's the plan then?"


Never one for small talk.

 

[The Fuzz]

Davore





"I believe our host has the shelf numbers where we can look."


He smiles.


"It's only a place to start, though."

 

[Grey]

Hulbrad Fortesque





"Where is our arachnid cousin? Her unique talents may be of use in this endeavour." Q asks aloud, the question directed at no one in particular.

 

[ZombieKitty]

Cecilia





The blonde woman glances about her surroundings, glancing up at the ceiling for good measure before shaking her head at their little gathering. "I'm afraid I have not seen her yet today. Perhaps she is still in her room?" She repeats this again for Cled so he understands.

 

[Teh Frixz]

Yrva Andran


Skittering in with an aura of intensity previously unseen came Yrva Andran. Her face, quite normally pale, is even more bereft of color and a sheen of sweat is visible across her face. Her movement are panicked and upset yet somehow not careless with the bundle of tools and expensive looking equipment.


"Why sitting around waiting all day? Mysterious magic to reveal, understand and master. We've got no time. Big important things to do, let's move"


Moving hurriedly, Andran places the jewels of her tool box in the hands of strangers, an altogether bizarre move for a scion of greed to make.


Quickly saddling up beside the human and in particular the Orc, Andran fidgets and tries to remain calm.


Cut off from her House funds and more than likely her Fathers ample hoard as well was a frightening chain of thought. She should have known something was going to happen not in her favor as the myriad of prophetic trinkets she owned had all turned to ill fortune. She wouldn't have bought them if they didn't have some merit! Why did she choose to ignore it!?! It was being crushed beneath a boot, the pressure on her body making her lungs work harder and harder to filter and breathe. 'Apply herself' he said, give her a panic attack more likely. She could imagine her dad chuckling to himself as he and her mother went about their days in the lavish comfort of home. No doubt still taking in easy gems from their recent investments into air ships. She was literally shaking in both fear and frustration, wishing a certain mortal was still around.

 

[The Fuzz]

Lybar Davore





"Cousin of grasping clever limbs, I dare to inquire. Are you quite alright?"


Davore looks mildly concerned.


He also looks to Cecilia.


"My apologies, madam magus. I do not require any formality, 'mister' is quite fine, or simply my name."


He inclines his head in her direction, almost a brief bow.

 

[PixelWitch]

Cled


He side eyes the jittering arachnid, raising a thick brow at her.


"Do I need to find you a chair?"


The question is posed with a degree of uncertainty. This one was unpredictable.

 

[ZombieKitty]

Cecilia





Nodding to Davore, she takes in the panicked and upset Andran with an expression of concern to match that of the doctor's. She agrees with Cled's offer of a chair for the arachnid woman.


"Perhaps you should sit a moment. You seem shaken and upset." She says softly. "Did something happen we can perhaps aid with or at least let you speak of?"

 

[Teh Frixz]

Yrva Andran


Giving up information was always a difficult task, made even more so by her recent lifestyle. When trying to present her findings, Andran developed a harsh curt cadence to her words, stuttering even as she tried to force the words out. Why there even had been a time where she very nearly presented an entire lecture on the principles of Hellforged fleshstitching techniques by miming out the words withe elaborate gestures and crudely drawn diagrams on a rather expensive reusable slate. The Lybar in the audience were delighted by the charade like performance but it had been a headache for everyone else.


"C-ch-chair is fine. Just fine. Personal life..i-in-int-interfering with investigation. Have- Must produce results soon or...or things won't go well.."


Her word stutter and choke out, sounding like the scraping of a box being dragged across the floor. She does take the quickly procured chair, sitting down and letting her legs gently tap at the ground. She slumps, as if giving up in a battle and holds out the message device for others to listen to if they wish.

 

[Grey]

Hulbrad Fortesque


"To work, then. Much to do. First locate and search the other volumes, then we follow the trail which will obviously present itself to our refined intellects," Q says with something resembling excitement.


And then disappears into the stacks.


[dice]494[/dice]

 

[The Fuzz]

Davore





Davore moves...very slightly. Almost as if he were going to move in Andran's direction, and immediately just...didn't.


He smiles, instead.


"Cousin, I am always willing to listen, and possibly to provide chemical assistance and stabilisation."


He does glance around.


"Fortesque? Oh, dear."

 

[Silvertongued]

• Fortesque
• Davore, Andran, Cecilia, Cled

• 
  
  
  Ah yes, the books are easily found, somewhat near to where Mal had experienced petrification.
  
  
  There's a small enough collection, perfectly organised save the missing volume. The memory stone boxes they refer to are interred deeper inside the library.
  
  
  Looking through the volumes, it seems to be an extensive, and incredibly dry, series of indices of memory stones of various legal cases regarding mundane violations of the law with magic. Much of it is patent law, tax evasion, and other such things. You can't really discern any underlying pattern inherent within it. That said, they do seem to be differently organised than the original volume.
  
  
  The cases are ordered by the date in words, ascending with time. In the original volume the dates were written numerically, and the cases ordered from the highest number down.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Hrune waits besides the group of you silently, face impassive, still as a statue.
  
  
  "It would seem the honorable Hulbrad had vanished. Could we do somethign similar, hopefully out of this accursed well of mouldy books?" mumbles Helmine, her sinuous form a boa to Ccilia's shoulders.
  
  
  

 

[The Fuzz]

Davore





Davore stifles a smile, and refrains from glancing at the construct.


"I can, shamefully, remember only that the text we seek is a series of legal codes transcribed into the form of memory stones. Thankfully, I can remember very well what our esteemed scholarly cousin looks like."


He looks around.


"So, shall we? Find Fortesque and we find the texts."

 

[PixelWitch]

Cled


Q had moved so quickly and silently that when he looked up he hadn't realized the Hulbrad was gone, "I hope he doesn't do that often..." he growls lowly.


I like to keep line of sight with these folks...


Now there's Ard... Arron...Adro... Andran. Yes. This issue next. His Orcish logic working through each individual problem in sequence.


What do you normally do in a situation like this...


Awkwardly he offers the crook of his arm to the quivering spiderling.


This is what you do, right..?


"We need to walk now," he tells her, not so much a polite suggestion as an order.


"...Please?" gets tacked on the end after a beat.

 

[ZombieKitty]

Cecilia





She watched Andran with some concern but smiles at Cled for offering the woman some help. "Let us go. I'm sure we will find our other companion on the way." She agrees, stroking Helmine's head gently for her commentary.

 

[Teh Frixz]

Yrva Andran


Oh yes yes why yes! Strong arms to dangle from, warm beats of his heart that he now must share! Something that was just his was now simply hers!





Surprisingly strong arms grip onto the aforementioned offered arm, the spider legs jutting from her spine lifting off the ground as her humanoid feet step gingerly upon the ground. The legs creak and slip back, folding like pairs of obscenely formed wings. The soles of her shoes hadn't yet touched ground in this place but at being offered a limb so informally, there was little time to prepare.


"T..t...thank you. It's a calming experience to enjoy support from one so...p..physically gifted. Let us be off, I apologize for m..my sloth"

 

[Grey]

Hulbrad Fortesque


Q stands staring at the wall of indices, pondering.


Perhaps a cross reference based on something from the original index reference via one of these indices? Or is this a blue sunfish? The answer might lie elsewhere entirely.

Spoiler

Gonna roll Intuition and Lore, I think, or would Academics be better?


[dice]1154[/dice]

 

[Silvertongued]

• Q
• Cecilia, Davore, Andran, and Cled

• 
  
  
  There doesn't seem to be any particular pattern to the ordering of the cases in the index, apart from the fact that they're rather oddly numerically ordered, rather than by date.
  
  
  That seems to be the only real difference between the book from the incident, and the rest of the books of the collection. Perhaps further exploration into the memory stone collections may prove more beneficial.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  After a strange few minutes groping through a fog of what you can only describe as knowledge, you find yourself looking at the back of Fortesque, or at least, what appears to be Fortesque. They're talk, dark, mysterious, could be any Hulbrad really...
  
  
  

 

[Grey]

Hulbrad Fortesque


Q produces the previous index from his robes, and finally notices the rest of the group.


"Excellent timing. Take these," he says, copying five entries to a page each for Andra, Davore, and the Magus. "If we find them, we may have more information to work with."

 

[ZombieKitty]

Cecilia





"Wonderful. We will begin our search then." She smiles at Fortesque as she takes the page offered and quickly moves off to begin seeking the entries.