Fruitful Pursuits

[Faith Augustin]

He worried for good reason? Faith couldn't argue with him, she really couldn't. More than anything, she wished that Padraig didn't worry, but then he wouldn't be who he was, if he didn't. "I.. wouldn't do exactly the same thing." Faith said in reply, when he told her that he thought she'd do the same for anyone. Lifting her head to meet his eyes, her gaze was almost pleading. "If it wasn't Nir'wei, you could have stopped me. Made me let someone else do it. Which is what I should have done, even though it was Nir'wei." The toll this damn war was taking on her was evident to them both and Faith knew, without doubt, the worst was yet to come. "I promise you, Padraig, I....."

But what it was that she was going to promise remained unspoken, because there was suddenly a great kerfuffle and the pair of them moved. There was no argument from Faith as Padraig put himself in front of her. Within seconds it was chaos, Faith realised that things were focused on them - this.. individual,.... was spying on her and Padraig? It was all getting a bit silly if she was honest and she was so focused on assessing the situation that she'd have not noticed the toppling book case quickly enough; so, she was more than grateful as Padraig grabbed her by the shoulder and she went where he steered her.

Shelves and books and all sorts fell and Padraig was magnificent in his apprehending of the criminal. As he did, the man started to talk. The Coven? The Coven? Faith's eyes turned a deep red and Padraig's words were spoken as she moved to them. The man twisted in Padraig's grasp and Faith heard what Padraig said. "Fetch the authorities," Faith said and she gestured to Padraig's face - adored of Yvithia had some sway here, after all. "This man attacked Professor Augustin. Get the authorities."

And then, Faith fell to her knees in front of him, and she clamped her hands on his head, one either side. She was surprisingly strong considering her diminuitive size. "The Coven. Ellasin. Where is she? What are her plans? What is it that you really... really don't want me to know?" As she spoke she used the Stolen Moments ability granted to her by Vri, and her eyes were flooded with a crimson glow.

"Tell me all the things she wouldn't want you to. Tell me ... now."

She didn't think he'd speak, but he didn't need to. He just needed to think and - when he thought them, he'd forget and she'd remember.

!

Message from: Pig Boy

It's hard for Faith to pick up anything, as this spy is really quite the dense fellow. But eventually his thoughts drift toward those who commanded him to keep watch on Faith. Inevitably, he thinks of Gravant Coldheart, one of Ellasins most important commanders who directed her fleets of ships. He'd been hiding out, the spy presumed, somewhere around the dock area to the north. He didn't know exactly how to find Gravant, but the Stoneheart left dead drops with supplies and instructions around the Viden Docks. Marching orders for his network of spies and coven members in Viden were distributed in various locations, usually by urchins who were paid to carry the sealed orders, and paid after the fact. He went through these thoughts rather quickly, exponentially increasing in speed as he ran out of information to impart. Within a few bits, a score of guards arrived at the Athenium, and approached Faith and her companions, "What is going on here? Can we help Professor Augustin?"

[Linika]

By the time the guards arrived, Linika was just extricating herself from the heap of agricultural reference material. It had occurred to her by then that it was actually not so surprising that Viden would have such a gargantuan collection of such books. The frozen north was so far behind the rest of the world in agricultural pursuits that it was only logical that they would make up for it by having a copy of every sarding notebook every farmer from Melrath to Treidhart had ever penned for his own private use.

One of the guards noticed her and nonchalantly made his way over to her. He crouched down beside her, with a slightly odd hand gesture, that she returned. The ensuing conversation would then follow a predetermined course featuring her outspoken protests and belligerency, which would result in her being brought in as an accessory to the disturbance. None of it contained any of the information the Intelligence Authority would be asking of her once they got her away from where she might be overheard by the public. There was a cover story to maintain, and it required her playing the 'typical, loudmouth, uncooperative naerikk bitch'.

She slipped a last telepathic message to Faith and Padraig that the scene needed to be acted out this way, but that she would be back. She added a last word: 'Knots'. Clearly she had heard the bit about some drops and/or operatives at the docks. If there was anything suspicious going on down there, the old pirate would have seen something of it. The guard retrieved Linika's 'dowsing rod' and she was unceremoniously hauled out of the library, her protests echoing down the streets, ripe with profanity. There are times where the more effort you make to be noticed, the more you are ignored.

She relayed all she had done and seen to her IA superiors. The magnitude of what this was all shaping up to be connected to put everyone on notice, and it was quickly reasoned that massive repercussions and a sudden increase in security would only show their hand and negate any leads still lingering around. They fashioned a story that the dust up was over Linika's accusation that the man had slipped a hand where it had no business going, and she had turned on him without restraint.

He was, of course, denying the whole thing, and the only reason they'd chosen to hold him and release her was that she insisted he'd be "waiting for her" if they let him go first. Apparently, the man had protested so vigorously that a whole new round of charges had resulted, keeping the man detained a while longer yet.

That was the story being made available to the public, anyway. In the meantime, Linika caught a public sled to the docks to visit Knots.

[Fairytale]

Faith

Knowledge:

Detection: Taking notice of Linika’s magic stick
Detection: The tall man with the strange vibes
Textile Production: Having a good store name.
Research: Looking into strange occurrences
Tactics: When conventional methods don’t work
Tactics: Its not enough to catch a mage you need to be prepared.
Tactics: Draw a mage in with a energy producing device to trap
Teaching: The right analogy makes the difference.
Discipline: Waiting for husband in difficult situation
Mount (winged): Connection to the rider
Mount (winged): Hang on and don’t look down
Intimidation: just be yourself
Interrogation: When all else fails just used Vri’s ability

Location: Prime Athenium
Yarns and Charms: Possible business venture.
Linika: We meet again in Viden
Linika’ dowsing rod of knowledge
Viden: Home to a coven base.

Loot:

N/A

Injuries:

N/A

Fame:

10

Magic:

These points can NOT be used for Domain Magic

Skill Points:

15

Padraig

Knowledge:

Detection: The women with the Divining rod is not a threat
Research: Looking into strange occurrences
Research: Looking for references to lighting
Research: legends or theories on how to detect or disrupt
Tactics: When conventional methods don’t work
Tactics: Its not enough to catch a mage you need to be prepared.
Tactics: Draw a mage in with a energy producing device to trap
Psychology: The science of a women feelings
Teaching: The right analogy makes the difference.
Mount (winged): Connection to the rider
Mount (winged): Hang on and don’t look down
Unarmed combat: Preventing escape by leaping and grabbing at what ever you can.
Unarmed Combat: A punch to the jaw loosens the lips
Interrogation: demanding a spy tell why he was sent
Investigation: Brine on the hands from having around the docks.

Location: Prime Athenium
Viden: Home to a coven base.
Yarns and Charms: Possible business venture.
Linika: The women with the Diving rod
Linika’ dowsing rod of knowledge

Loot:

N/A

Injuries:

N/A

Fame:

10

Magic:

These points can NOT be used for Domain Magic

Skill Points:

15

Linika

Knowledge:

Detection: Using the Y rod to locate knowledge
Detection: Noticing a book label
Detection: Not sensing displeasure in a voice
Detection: The tall man with the strange vibes
Detection: seeing someone avert their eyes.
Detection: The man is spying on faith
Detection: A knife heading your way
Disguise: Using the Y rod to hide the mark of Yvithia
Disguise: Adding things to Emphasize other aspects
Disguise: Looking like an older Eidisi women.
Disguise: Adding that extra detail to your legs
Deception: Relying on being an unlikely follower of Yvithia
Deception: Attention is never desirable for a spy
Deception: pretending to look at books
Deception: Spying through book shelves
Deception: Playing the Typical loudmouth uncooperative Naerikk bitch
Stealth: There are times when being a loudmouth makes it easier to be ignored
Meditation: Libraries are good places to focus.
Etiquette: Don’t go charging in like an attacker
Socialization: A kinder looking face helps
Shield: Using a book to block an attack
Acrobatics: Leaping under a table
Mount (winged): Connection to the rider
Mount (winged): Hang on and don’t look down

Location: Prime Athenium
Padraig: Faith’s husband
Faith: in Viden with twins
Faith: Has a pegasus

Loot:

N/A

Injuries:

N/A

Fame:

10

Magic:

These points can NOT be used for Domain Magic

Skill Points:

15

Notes:

As per usual I enjoyed your writing and the scene you three created. The couple wishing for a chill life without the evil organization of mages and other shananigans and Faiths friend who's a spy with a magical dousing rod (I gotta get me one of those.) If I missed something or anything please message me