[Command Central] The heart of the matter.

[Faith Augustin]

17th Vhalar, 720
Command Central

It had taken too long to get this set up, but Faith wasn't prepared to cry over spilled milk. Of course, "too long" was by her own measurement. In truth, the creating of this place had been done with her usual speed and efficiency and, somehow, they were seventeen trials in to the season and here it was. It was, realistically, a miracle of work but Faith didn't see it that. Of course. As she and Padraig arrived, Faith's hand was in her husband's. Sitting in the carriage which brought them, she explained, "We're meeting Gennadiya, and a young woman called Elisabeth," Faith explained to him. Gennadiya, of course, was a name he knew well. Faith and she worked together at the Order and Faith was planning on handing over running of the Rharne branch of the order to Genna. But the name Elisabeth was new. "I met her yesterday. She came to buy a dress for the Mummer's Ball. Don't worry, I've arranged for us to be busy," Faith said, with a smile, as his eyes showed that he'd heard the word "ball" and was about to be not happy. "We're desperately busy." They neither one of them wanted to be bothered with formal dances, finery and frippery. Frankly, as far as Faith was concerned, if they were going to spend a night away from the children, then they had much better things to do than to attend dances. That caused a frown, and she tugged at his hand, slightly. "Are we old and frumpy?" His 22 arc old wife asked, quite seriously.

"Anyhow, yes, Elisabeth's parents both work at the Institute and she does, too, working as a research assistant for them. She's very keen to be involved in charity and so on and she seems to have a keen mind. We'll see." Faith was, as always, optimistic. "This marks the edge of our territory," she said and then, they travelled for another few acres. Faith pointed out where she had placed the Brightgleam Oasis, and of course Padraig knew that this place was magically protected, in the way that their home was. As the large building came into view, it was clear that Faith's purchase had been of something nearly as big and imposing as their own home. She spoke to him, softly. "There are some of these creatures which burrow under the ground. Is there a way of protecting us? They burn through rock, so I was hoping you'd be able to come up with something? The Safe Hearth on it is a sphere, but still." But still, she worried.

Oh, how she worried. Of course, the highly disciplined woman showed no such thing to anyone other than him and, as they approached the building, Faith took a moment to rest her head on Padraig's shoulder. Just sitting there together, quietly, gave her strength to do what needed to be done. And so, they made their way in. The building itself was as impressive as it seemed and she'd had all the equipment which had been "hanging around" Zuudaria brought here, so it was well equipped. It was luxurious where it needed to be, but Faith saw none of it. Alyssa, Faith's biqaj bodyguard, was with them - driving the carriage, and the three of them went in together.

Being the first to arrive, Faith would normally potter around, but instead she showed Padraig the information they had on the "wormanickels", which she told him "apparently they're all named something -ernickel. I don't know why. Except Bob. Bob the Pumpernickel. But look, these wormanickels, they burrow," and it was the wormernickels which she wanted to protect against. Everything was set up ready and Faith put down a bag in which was Padraig's hat, gloves and goggles. She'd told him everything she knew about what they'd already found out but examining this gem would be the next step.

When Genna and Elisabeth arrived, Faith made sure that everyone was introduced to everyone else, and then she got straight down to business. "All my notes are here, everything from the Order of the Adunih that we know. Every report, also, has been copied so there's a copy here in this place, I've sent them to some academic colleagues around the place, and they're in the Order records and in Isonomias." Faith believed, always, in being careful. "I've got a number of echo scrolls which I'll use, and some echo boxes, to share information with researchers in Viden and Scalvoris, and... well. We need to examine this gem." Elisabeth needed a little time to get up to speed, as did Padraig, but that gave her and Genna the time to get everything set up in here. The walls, underneath the places where all the information was, was filled with bookshelves which were bursting with tomes and scrolls.

"I'm going to compare two gems," Faith said softly. "I want to check if I see the same Aukari male. I'm then going to try and bring his soul here. If he's dead, that will work. I'd also like to try and see if we can... reverse engineer this? If these are mutated animals, lets see if we can create them." Faith didn't like the idea, but it was important to try. "And, I've got some water from the Brightgleam Oasis, it's a spirit-touched water which the Induk Lovalus allows me to create. I'd like to see what it does to these creatures." She looked at the three of them. "This is linked to Faldrun, I'm sure of it. I wonder why Storm's Edge specifically too. They could have bypassed it. There must be something there."

Looking at the map of Rharne on the wall, she frowned. "Has anyone explored the Umbral Caverns and Ilaren's Stand?" Faith wondered. "What if they're not heading for Rharne at all? What if they're heading for either of them, or even the Spire?" All possibilities, she was sure. But those caverns? "I'll write to Vivian," she said, "And ask her to send out some people, if they can." She did just that, turning to an echo scroll and penning a note to the Acting Commander of Storm's Edge.

When everyone had seen everything they needed to, they could get down to work. Faith would do exactly what she had said - compare the gems, use the same ability on a different gem to see if she saw the same Aukari male and then, try and bring his soul here. There was, undoubtedly, plenty to do.

[Elisabeth Black]

It was going to be an interesting trial for sure. Meeting Faith Augustine the trial before, the universe had launched Elisa into something that had real-world concerns and consequences. As she had explained to the woman, there had been rumors and such going around the Institute but due to Elisa being new in the area – only arriving in Rharne a short time before the turn of the season – she hadn’t been privy to the work going on…and hadn’t had time to investigate what was going on. In hindsight, a bad decision on her part. If Vin and Rilith knew anything, they hadn’t mentioned it to her. Only when Faith invited her into the fray – so to speak – did she begin to think she might have something to offer the situation.

Following the directions given, she made her way out to the site of the meet. As the impressive building came into view, her nerves began to get the best of her. “Oh, stop it,” she said to herself. “You were born for this type of work. Just tell them what you see and go from there.” At her core, she knew that her inner voice was right. Elisa’s entire life had been books and academia. Breaks upon breaks devoted to solving puzzles and learning anything and everything. Vin often teased her about knowing a little bit about almost everything – and he was fairly accurate.

Entering the estate, Elisa greeted those present with a smile, making sure to thank them for including her in the meeting. Quickly being directed to the walls of notes, maps, and information, Elisa set her things on a nearby table and began her process.

The first step was to take in everything. Leaving her notebook on the table, she walked around the room, silently reading each list and entry. Organizing them in her mind, her sapphire gaze absorbed every word. There was a very clear line between things she would be able to speak to and areas that she had no apparent knowledge in. It didn’t mean that a thought wouldn’t come to her on the subject – patterns rarely had anything to do with the subject itself– but she simply didn’t have any overt knowledge of the topics.

After she felt certain she knew the areas she needed to focus on, slender hands picked up her notebook and began taking notes. The notes were simply to remind her of certain aspects, her recall ability being something Elisa prided herself on.

After a while, it was time to get down to the business of sharing thoughts and ideas. Faith went first, everyone listening to her conclusions, thoughts, and musings. She had a few of the same thoughts Elisa was currently mulling over, helping the young woman feel more confident that she was on the same page as the others. She didn’t have the same familiarity with the material that the others did so there was going to be a learning curve. She accepted and respected that.

Once Faith had concluded, she felt compelled to jump in. Rising, she thought it best to use the visual aids on the wall to help convey her information. “As I explained to Faith, my background is in research. I’ve had my nose in books since I could read and access some of the rarest books academia has to offer. Absorbing all of the information provided, a few things stand out. I’m aware that some of my observations and opinions might already be known or have been surmised by others but I find that the easiest way to sort through them is to throw them all out for everyone to hear and then you can seize on anything that might be new or different.” It probably hadn’t been necessary to outline her plan for them but she had found in the past, it was best to communicate how her process worked.

Looking at the wall, she recalled something Faith had mentioned. “I agree with Faith that Faldrun’s fingerprints are all over this situation. There are so many things that point to him – several creatures that seem to have elements of fire, the location, the mention of an Aukari…to name a few. I reviewed the history of the area before I came and something that stands out is the event itself. There are a lot of pieces that seem to be a repeat of the original campaign. “

Moving over to a map of Rharne and the surrounding areas, she pointed to two specific places. “Storm’s Edge and Illaran’s Stand. Neither of these places existed during Faldrun’s original attack. Storm’s Edge was built to protect Rharne against the dangers of the Stormwastes which were created by the events of said attack. It would make sense that something like that wouldn’t be allowed to stand. They could have gone around it yes…but why? Easier to take it out first so you don’t have to watch your back if the destruction of Rharne is truly the objective. Ilaran’s Stand – obviously – is a place of significance. It stands for Faldrun’s original failure. He wouldn’t want to be reminded of it. Those are the only two differences in places of importance between then and now that I could find in my short search…but if there are others, they should be looked at too.”

A thought popped into her head as she listed out all the ways the situation connected to Faldrun, deciding to share with the room. “A minor consideration. It hasn’t escaped my notice that the evidence for Faldrun’s involvement is a bit overwhelming. Maybe too overwhelming. I don’t pretend to understand Immortals but I can’t discount, looking at all the evidence, that there is a small possibility that someone or something is trying to make it look like it’s him. To what end, I don’t know. Just a thought.”

Moving on, her gaze landed on the information about the creatures. She didn’t understand the context of the names…but it wasn’t the time to ask. “There is mention of at least a few creatures showing signs of some level of intelligence. Choosing specific targets, testing defenses and the ability to learn makes the case for that. How that translates into useful information, I’m not sure but I thought it interesting. Either they have a higher level of intelligence than most animals or perhaps they are being controlled by some means. There’s mention of a gem-like object in each creature and a link to an Aukari male. Could he be controlling them through the object, or could they use it to communicate with each other? Or both?

Ideas continued to swirl as she moved on to the next topic – linguistics. Pointing to the note “Language of the creatures,” Elisa turned to face the room again. “I’d like to talk to whoever heard this. There seems to be a working theory that the Aukari and creatures are linked together in some manner. If the creatures are speaking…. oh, what’s the name of their language…. oh, Vanui! If the creatures are speaking Vanui, I think we can confirm that link. I don’t know Vanui but there is a notion in linguistics that languages that develop in the same regions often have certain patterns and similarities. My adoptive father is a professor of linguistics and has experience in a few languages that might offer some insight as they were products of the same region. Since I’m his research assistant, I’ve heard those languages and might be able to pick up something. Possibly worth a try.” Still thinking, another quick idea came to her. “Also, another thing. If the person that heard the language isn’t familiar with Ancient, it's possible that if Faldrun is involved, they may be speaking that, repeating what he says. I have some familiarity with that language too.”

Exhausting the topics on the wall that she had any thoughts about, she gracefully walked back over to her chair, letting her eyes fall to her notepad as she took her seat. “Oh…one more thing. I don’t know if this relates or not. Many arcs ago when I was in Viden, a box of very old tomes came into the library at the Academy. I got a hold of one. It was very early in my education on Ancient but I managed to make out a few things. The name ‘Fei” was written in it as well as “Faldrun” and a few words that implied a connection between the two. The was one more word I translated. “Original” I left the book in the library, meaning to bring Vin back the next day to translate more of the text…but by the time we got there, the book was gone and it was never located. I’ve kept my eyes open for anything relating to “Fei” or “Original”, but nothing has surfaced. I’ve asked around in academic circles and no one seems to know anything about either of those.”

Giving the others a smile, she sat back in her seat, taking a deep breath as she spoke. “And that’s all I have. Was anything helpful?”

OOC Note

If any of this information seems too high level for Elisa, I'm happy to edit. If you would like justification for why I believe she knows it, please let me know. =-)

[Padraig]

"Like dusty old tomes," Padraig responded dryly when Faith asked, were they becoming old and frumpy. Or if perhaps they'd already arrived at such a state. He'd be tempted to argue that it had always been the case for him. For so long as he could remembered, he hadn't cared much for the public pomp and glittery airs as good as demanded of those who attended balls and such. Not that he had much experience with it. "I spend so much time staring at the stars or sailing off into the middle of nowhere, or up in my lab in the turret, that I may be earning for myself a reputation as the mad scientist languishing up in his tower."

"Thank you," he added lovingly and leaned in to give Faith a kiss on the cheek. For getting them out of attending, that was. As for the names of the two women who'd be joining them, only Gennadiya's was familiar. But if Faith believed that this Elisabeth had something of value to contribute, then it was as good as a certainty that she must. His Faith was a very good judge of character. Except for Tristan, in Padraig's opinion, which in spite of having gotten to know the man better and on more cordial terms over the arcs, had only softened a little. "Very impressive," he said as the carriage carried them closer to their destination, and he was able to get a better look at it all from a distance.

As for these ernickels: Padraig resisted every urge to comment on the nature of the name. Except, "I thought pumpernickel was a loaf of bread." Which would seem to make Bob sound just a little less fearsome than his appearance and nature implied. He frowned though, when Faith voiced her concerns regarding the wormernickels. "If they can burn straight through solid rock, you might as well ask how to cool down the lava pool in a volcano's cauldron," he said. Therefore, infusing some sort of alchemical compound into the rock beneath their property, in order to cool it down faster than these worms could burn through it, seemed as good as an impossibility.

"Assuming they're capable of feeling pain, enough pain to cause them to cease and desist," Padraig figured, "it might be easier to charge the stone layer beneath ground with what would amount to bottled lightening. Something that would respond to the intense heat they omit and give them a good shock." Even that sounded like a bit of wild eyed thinking. But experience had taught him that sometimes you had to give voice to the crazy ideas, and then occasionally, just sometimes, they paved the way for more sensible and achievable ones. But they'd arrived, and he hopped out of the carriage and offered Faith his hand.

Once inside, he took a moment to greet the others who'd been promised to join him. "A pleasure," Padraig said. "It's nice to finally have a face to a name," he added, referring to Gennadiya in particular. "And a new name and face as well." That, for Elisabeth. And then it seemed they'd get right down to work. Some of what was contained in Faith's notes, she'd already spoken to him about to some extent or another. Not all, certainly. And all of it, he'd familiarize himself with before getting to work. There was a lot of it.

He'd be examining the gem, of course, and had the specialized equipment with which to do it. But it didn't necessarily mean that he'd discover anything more than Faith had already from studying the thing. But if there was anything new to learn at all, then surely the goggles and specs that she'd packed for him, would go a long way towards uncovering the mystery. As for reverse engineering anything outside the ordinary boundaries of alchemy, chemistry or physics, or anything to do with spirits really, that was Faith's area of expertise and not his. He'd wait for her to do what she would with the gems at any rate and then view, and review, the results, before he took them himself to examine.

He agreed with something else she had said, however. There must be something special or desirable about Storm's Edge. Otherwise, they could have as easily skirted around it. "The spire is crackling with energy. Attracts it, stores it," he said. "In effect, the whole thing amounts to being a capacitor. If these creatures rely on energy and need a ready source to replenish it, that's a pretty valuable source right there. Used effectively, it would generate a great deal of heat." Which these ernickel things seemed to rely on, and it fit well with the whole Aukari angle. And Faldrun, most certainly.

"Those books may not have just been misplaced or disappeared by happenstance," he figured when Elisabeth described what she'd seen, and more particularly the names she dropped. But then, he was just supposing out loud. As for these creatures being controlled by something else, apart from their own will, he'd tend to agree. "If that's the case, it appears that whoever is pulling the strings is capitalizing on the strengths of each type of creature with a couple exceptions, in it's ordinary form...wolves, worms and so on, but overriding the weaknesses or shortcomings that they'd ordinarily be subject to." Not to mention making them nearly invincible in some cases.

[Gennadiya Lyosha]

Gennadiya sat in the rented coach as it made its way towards the building. Genna had come back to the city for a few reasons. The first reason had been to get back to civilization. The Lysorian woman wasn’t a camper, she preferred the comfort of city life, but she had been needed in the field and so she had worked and would return again. The second was to actually take care of necessary business. The children at the orphanage had missed her and she had missed them. So a few trials to see them. She had also moved her father into her home so he could care for it but also so he wasn’t trying to help with things he had no skill with. He would be happier here and had even agreed to volunteer at the orphanage.

Now she was on her way to a large meeting to continue fighting this war. These creatures were an oddity and as such must be understood. Genna believed that fighters such as Vega and Vivian could kill these things but this meetings job was to help them stay alive. So it was that she sat in a carriage with the boxes containing some of the remains of the monsters and in her lap was the box with the gems carefully labeled as well as copies of her note books on the autopsy.

Genna looked at the structure and felt an eyebrow slowly raise. Yes this had Faith written all over it functioning but pretty. It appeared to be large enough for there needs with out skimping or extravagant.

“Are we almost there?” A humming voice asked from the top of one of the boxes. Genna turned away and smiled at her dirri companion Nayeli.

“Yes we should be there any moment now.”

“Next time let’s get a carriage that isn’t so bouncy.” Nayeli said. Genna smiled but didn’t say anything.

Gennadiya stepped out of the carriage holding the box with the gems in her hands. On this particular trial Genna had chosen to were a ankle length pink skirt that gives her upper body and with skirts that hung loosely to her feet with her gold cloak hanging over the outfit. The cold cycles winds rushed past as she gave directions for the driver to bring the boxes in.

Gennadiya walked into the place, her dirri on her head as her gaze taking in the layout off the building and also the fact that she was the last to arrive. She gave everyone a friendly smile as she was introduced to everyone. Smiling at Faith’s husband Padraig she accepted his greeting with a laugh and a reply. “I agree. It is nice to meet you as well and finally have the face with the name.” Then with just as much friendliness Genna greeted Elisabeth. “It is also nice to meet some completely new.” Genna’s tone and expression showed that the platinum blond woman was completely honest with her pleasure. Genna’s blue eyes then turned to the walls and what was written on them. Unlike the other two she didn’t have to really spend much time reviewing it since much of it she had been there for and or talked with the people directly.

While Padraig and Elisabeth read the notes Genna laid out the gems based on type while Faith got the necessary equipment to test them. Once that was done Genna then turned to getting the specimen she had brought into their places. Right now she limped based on species but once she had more time she would organized by laying out skeletons and setting out the preserved organs.

The Lysorian woman then took a seat and pulled out her notebook and taking a set began to take notes on the different points each brought up. She was impressed with Elisabeth, she was a good sources of information. Gennadiya vigorously nodded her head in agreement as the young woman pointed out that someone might be framing Faldrun. Genna continued to make notes as the conversation continued.

Genna was quiet a moment after all three finished. She stood up then and walked over to the map and studied it and then turned to the group. “Having not meet Faldrun nor studied him I can’t speak with any solid facts but from my observation I do have a couple comments.” Genna glances down at her notes. “I agree with Elisabeth that there is strong evidence which would suggest the immortal of fire is behind this but the evidence is so strong it’s either not him or we are dealing with an ego the size of volcano.” Genna said with a humorous smile. “In either cause I am going to propose a third option in regards to the siege of Storm Edge. My training in psychology suggest that maybe he just can’t leave it standing. You are looking at it as a tactician. If it is Fauldrun and his goal is to destroy Rharne it makes sense to just destroy the city.” She paused thinking of the best way to say this. “To be blunt I see someone who likes drama and the dramatic thing to do is wipe out anything to do with so with Ilaren and Rharne. That means Storm Edge as well as Rharne and all those little monuments. It means building ridiculous monsters and dramatically dolling then out trying to humiliate the Knights.“ Genna paused “Sorry. The point I was trying to make is we need to try and understand the mental state of what ever is leading this group.” She thought for a moment. “Maybe we need to see if we can find any kind of behavior pattern for Faldrun. See if this fits him. Maybe see if he is a great tactician or not.”

Genna paused and continued on to a new subject. “Here are the crystals so we can see what else we can discover. Besides seeing if we can reverse engineer them can we also see what exactly it does and if we can somehow turn it off without actually digging it out.” Genna looked at Faith “We might need to capture one of these alive to see if the gem does something while it’s alive we can’t see once the creature is dead.”

Genna looked at the others to see what there thoughts were.

"Genna", "NPC"

[Squirrel]

There was a lot to be done, and if there was one thing you could say about them all, it was that they didn't waste time.

Faith's examinations, at a surface level, holding the gem found very little differences in size, colour, or composition to that of any of the other gems that had been recovered from the creatures of flame. Her use of Know Thy Master, however, did not grant the same visions as that of the first gem she had looked upon. It was another male, another Aukari with short-cut red hair, but there was no sunken look in his face, nor dark and dismal looks in his eyes. His brow was creased with a permanent scowl and scars marked his left cheek, something her detection and medical skills could make out as battle-scars inflicted by long blades from the clean lines they drew. Instead of pale, his skin was darkened by overexposure to the sun - and his eyes blazed with passion and vibrancy. Her use of Dedication showed nothing but the same. The Aukari was the true owner of the gem she held - and like that of the ragged-faced Aukari of the previous gem, the importance of the item she held to him could not be understated. It was as much a part of his true identity as anything else.

Then, she tried to bring the soul back, envoking Zuuda's power, Entreat. It was important to note that this ability would only activate should the soul in question choose to arrive of their own free will, and it did. But then, it immediately became clear that what Faith had summoned wasn't quite the same as the souls she might have dealt with in the past.

The stone began to glow, growing so hot in her grip that it threatened to burn her skin in seconds. From its surface crackled energy, something between fire and lightning yet possessing qualities that truly could not belong to either, almost as though it was eager to reunite with its master once more.

Then, the soul appeared. A black, horrid thing, completely unrecognisable as the man that had appeared before her in the previous visions. In fact, it didn't even look like something remotely mortal. Its face and body were blackened by burns until it held the consistency of living charcoal, parts of its body turning to ash and crumbling away as it floated before them all. What had once been the solid, determined eyes of a young man with a duty to fulfil were now two holes in its skull, from which one could see the living flame that roared within its head and catch a glimpse of the back of its head from the inside. Faith's ability at least kept it from creating a physical form, and for that they should all be very pleased indeed. Fire sprouted everywhere from its body, a screaming flame that would have burned down the room and everyone within it had this not been the case. In fact, from the way it looked at them all, those of high detection skills might notice the look of slight disappointment on its face.

She didn't have time to ask it a question. The moment it realised that they weren't all burning to death at that moment, and that it wasn't able to materialise without Faith's permission, it screamed a piercing noise and the flames wreathing its body grew brighter still, so bright that even in its incorporealism one might begin to feel the glow of a campfire's heat on their faces, before the exertion became too much for the soul itself to maintain and it discorporated back into the pit she had drawn it from, ending the ability before it caused serious harm to the tortured soul, or the one that had brought it.

Finally, came water from the Brightgleam Oasis, sprinkled delicately upon its surface. The spirit-touched water sizzled like acid, clearly burning holes in the surface of the gem until it became slightly pock-marked. It was clear to anyone in the room that should one fully submerge the stone, it would dissolve entirely, and even a significant amount of water added to the surface would cause irreparable damage to the composition.

Next, the stone was passed to Padraig. Wearing spectacles that read the impressions and memories stored within the item, and the history of the object in non-linear fashion, snapped his thoughts to one resounding moment, the most emotional and significant one that this stone held; pain. A pure and searing pain with no equal, the sensation of skin flayed and twisted inside-out, burning flames, the smell of sulfur and taste of brimstone, all mixing into a horrible cacophony that seemed to stretch on for days, weeks, months, an untold period of nothing but torture.

Then, a man. His face covered by a translucent veil that disguised his identity, or perhaps was merely ceremonial. Dressed in black with gold frayed hems, gesturing to a stone table. He reached out and rested a hand on Padraig's shoulder, showing familiarity, comfort, and offering support and encouragement, before gesturing to a large stone table covered in scorchmarks everywhere but a clear outline in the middle of a man's body.

Finally, sounds. Footsteps, echoing down a long corridor. "It's only a matter of time before they discover," a voice spoke, rising above the noise, "what the true cost to their arrogance is. That they do not see what is right before their eyes. Do not fret; we will change them yet. Until then, you know what you must do." The sound of a latch pulling up and heavy doors rolling open, unleashed the sudden clamour of moans. Hundreds of voices, some groaning in agony, others screaming, a few begging and crying, and yet others muttering to themselves and speaking in tongues. Men, women, children's voices, animals, dogs, cats, other indecipherable creatures that became lost in the white noise, until the man's voice spoke up again. "Prove to them what they already knew. Burn in glory."

These were all the memories the stone held.

Finally, examining the stone with his Scientist Specs and Thinking Cap produced a microscopic view of the composition of the stone, and in comparing it to that of its counterpart, one could notice significant differences between the two that went beyond surface detail. Its interior was made up of a crystalline lattice of sorts, cracks forming smooth shapes and figures like that of a well-cut gem, despite the rough and misshapen exterior. These shapes seemed different in the two gems, the patterns of their makeup unique in each. The stone was also clearly of a very high quality, comparable to a true gemstone if it was properly cut.

[Faith Augustin]

It always seems impossible...

17th Vhalar, 720
Command Central

"A pumpernickel," she said with a glance at her husband, "is a dark bread with almost no crust. It has a slightly sweet taste but can be rather bitter if you aren't careful with it. I suppose," she said, thoughtfully, "it is often served so well-cooked that it looks burned. Perhaps that's why they developed the 'ernickel' names?" It wasn't important, but what was? Faith quickly wrote, on the currently researching wall, a task for Padraig. Something which froze the ground or damaged the creatures - whatever it was, frankly, Faith didn't mind. As she underlined "ASAP" twice, there was a definite message. Faith didn't think she needed to say it, and her silver eyes met his with a slight smile.

As they settled in, Faith explained what was happening, where they were going and what they were doing. Sometimes, she considered that - if she ever actually stopped and looked at who she was and where she was, then she would end up in a corner, rocking gently and muttering to herself. She didn't have that luxury, Faith knew. Elisabeth spoke of her background being research, of her life being lived with her nose in books and Faith recalled - with her perfect, eidetic, Vri-granted memory - the very first time she had stepped foot outside - when she had met people for the first time. Four arcs ago. The time since then had been a whirlwind and then some. But here was where they were and, somehow, somewhere along the line, she'd stopped being a slave and started being a person. Faith's hand touched against Padraig's and she glanced at him. There was no need to do more than that. He knew.

Elisabeth spoke then, and Faith listened carefully. The young woman fundamentally agreed with Faith's conclusions and she explained her own reasoning for it. One thing that really caught Faith's attention, though, was the level of linguistics skill and the link to that Elisabeth spoke of. Faith nodded. "Yes. The report is there, if you can go to Storm's Edge on the next supply wagon, we might find out more?" That made perfect sense to her. "We'll send two bodyguards with you but if we can find out anything about this language, that would help enormously." That said, she wrote it. Faith was in charge of the Institute in Rharne, Head of the Order of the Adunih and Padraig and Genna would both know - she was a great believer in lists and organisation and writing things down. It was a habit she made sure she kept up with; in truth for herself, Faith didn't need it. The lists lived in her mind, her perfect memory meaning that she did not need them but Faith was acutely aware that she was mortal and just the one person. If there was one thing she had learnt about logistics, it was that communication was key.

As Elisabeth spoke of Fei, Faith smiled slightly. "Fei is an Original - the creators of the Immortals. There were eight of them," she frowned slightly as she spoke. "Apparently, that's why our coins have eight sides. Fei is rumoured to have been a scientist, an explorer and, yes, to have been close to Faldrun." Faith smiled slightly and gave the tiniest of shrugs. She glanced at Padraig and there, in the forefront of her mind was a dream from before the war. She didn't need to speak to him, the marks which they both bore - him with the scar denoting Yvithia's mark, and the bands of light around their arms which showed him as marked by Qylios were the most obvious, but the two of them shared thoughts and emotions and Faith wondered, briefly, but then spoke. "Fei is connected to Scalvoris, we used to live there." Faith explained, her thoughts moving quickly. Famula and Ymiden had given the two of them a task, but then the war had happened; both Immortals knew that and had said it was fine, but Fei kept popping up, and Faith was not prepared to discard anything.

Padraig was right - the Spire was a source of energy maybe unlike any other and she nodded grimly. "If Vivian doesn't send a team, we'll go?" Her question was to her husband and she grinned slightly. "But you'll have to lead the way." There was no doubting that, after all.

With the slightest of frowns, she looked down at the table. Her hands pressed together and, while she talked Faith had tapped her fingers gently but now, she focused on them as she interlocked her hands. Then, she sighed. "We need better libraries," she said to them all. "With the best will in the world, we need better libraries." She glanced around and considered. Gennadiya was a perfectly competent medic - a talented and inspirational one, in fairness. She didn't know Elisabeth yet, but Faith knew there could be jobs for everyone and then some. "I'll go to Viden for a few breaks, access the restricted information. Padraig, I think maybe it's time to visit Yvithia's library?" After all, when Padraig had revived the Immortal, Treid, Yvithia had given him access to her personal library, and he was marked by her - twice. "If we do both of those together, then we can come back and go to the Spire?" That made sense to her. "In the meantime, Elisabeth, you can be collecting the linguistic information and - if Vivian puts together a group to go to the Umbral Caves or Ilaren's Stand, I'd appreciate it if one or both of you went along?" Knowing Vivian, Faith thought that the Knight-Warden would get on that quickly and both Elisabeth and Genna were going to Storm's Edge. To Faith, it made sense - they covered all the ground they needed to and did so in as quick a time as possible.

When Genna gave her assessment of what she saw, Faith's expression lifted into a smile. "That does sum Faldrun up, perfectly." There was room to doubt, though, and it was important that they kept an open mind. "I think we have to keep in mind that it might not be him. Or, he might have teamed with someone more subtle, this could be subterfuge for all we know. A delaying tactic." All of these things were true, and she knew that they had to maintain focus. "Actually," Faith said thoughtfully, "while you speak to Yvithia, I'll go to Zuudaria, ask the wisps there about Aukari souls. I'm having a thought." Were there more or less Aukari souls dying, Faith wanted to know. She nodded at Genna's thoughts, and added, "When you go back, will you speak to the Thunder Priestesses? As Ilaren worshippers, they more than anyone know Faldrun and they may have an insight to give. I'll have some books on him sent from the Institute, also."

But, they could spend all trial, and a few more besides, speculating. They needed to get on. Genna's suggestion of finding out what the gem did was an important one. "Yes. I think we also need to consider putting it in an animal and see what it does, unfortunately." Still, better an animal than a person, she figured. "Maybe they are 'nickel converting' gems of some kind. Maybe, just maybe, they have a piece of that Aukari's soul in them." It was something which caused a deep frown on Faith's face. "It felt that important. To the one I read previously. It was fundamental to him... it..."

Faith sighed. "That's where I've seen this before, I knew it. I need to... make more clear scientific comparisons, but it's like the soul wells," she said to Padraig. Then, she turned to Genna and Elisabeth. "We came into possession of hundreds of gems which had been used to trap souls at death. Store them, use them as energy. These look too much like that for it not to be investigated, at the least." She looked at Padraig and sighed. "It's like people do it on purpose to annoy me, you know."

And then, they actually got to the examination of the gems. Faith concentrated, her movements swift and efficient; she was focused and this was something which she had done before - many times. She spoke the description of the Aukari she saw, clearly and with a medic's attention to detail. What she felt, too, she explained aloud. Not for Padraig, he knew already, but for Genna who was taking notes. Those notes would be important. "It's soul-level, I'm sure of it," she said, and that meant that it was even more important that she did what she did.

However, what happened when she did that was far from expected. The soul came, which surprised her for a moment, but then she realised why. It could not manifest though, as to do so would be damaging to this place, and Faith had protected it. As it appeared, Faith felt fear grip her heart and the gem in her hand burned hot. Padraig knew the terror, the horror that the young Champion of Famula felt, but Faith put the fear to one side, her disciplined mind saving it for later. Now, she had a job to do. She had to serve.

And so, she lifted her head and looked at it. At this thing. Her skills of observation were so good, she didn't need to look at it long to take in all the details. It began to crumble, to turn to charcoal and Faith's silver eyes glowed deep red as she watched it. She watched it, apparently dispassionately to any who didn't know her, and she observed details in a blink. As it did that, Faith's breathing quickened and she banished the thoughts of their daughter, of the feel of her in Faith's arms as Rose had crumbled to dust, just like this. And Faith walked to it, examining it, walking around it. As she looked at it she once again used her ability to see the lines of service - but this time, on the soul itself.

As the energy crackled between the gem and the soul, Faith examined that, too. And then, once she was sure that she had taken in all the information she could with all of her senses, Faith did two things. Standing to her full (almost) five foot four, Faith's hand reached out and she made a gesture - twisting her hand closed quickly. As she did that, she created two solid prisons of ectoplasm. One small one, to catch the energy between the gem and the soul, and one large one, to trap the soul, cutting it off from where it was.

Faith didn't know if it would work. But then, of all things, it seemed to. A glistening prison of black-grey substance, emanating cold, wrapped around the soul and separately around the energy. Faith's eyes lit with red and she spoke, calmly, but with absolute certainty. "Do not touch it. It is ectoplasm, I hope it has trapped him there. Please, continue the experiment, I need to deal with this." This was something outside her area of expertise and she knew what she had to do. Without hesitation, Faith moved to one of the walls. She tore the paper off it, casting it to one side, and she cut her finger. Then, she put her blood on the wall and drew a door. Without touching the ectoplasmic prisons, she used more of her own ectoplasm if needed, but she manifested what she needed to move them through the door. She glanced, once, at Padraig. "Keep them safe, I'll be fine." He knew where she was going and what she was doing - and who she was going to talk to. "I'll call you if I need you," she said, and, with that, she left.

Abilities used

Know the Master: Zuuda: A Zuuda with this ability can see the lines of service that bind an individual. A powerful ability, the Zuuda must observe someone, concentrate on them for at least two bits at Favored, one bit at Adored and at Exalted, the Zuuda need only concentrate for a few trill (seconds), and use this ability. Know the Master will bring the face or the sigil of who or what the individual serves in their heart. Often a Zuuda never has to ask who someone works for, they can see the truth of their service and devotion within their soul. If the individual only serves themselves or serves nothing in particular, this ability only imparts a cold sense of emptiness. (on the soul as it manifests).

Ectoplasmic Blood: Ectoplasm is the substance of the world ghosts inhabit. Ordinarily mortals feel it as a cold sensation on their skin in the presence of souls but in the Beneath (where souls reside) it is a physical substance of varying power. Ectoplasm creates the bodies of souls and can fuel their abilities. For Famula’s chosen, when receiving this blessing there is a quality ascribed to their blood forevermore. A Zuuda can manipulate their own ectoplasm to their will. Creating objects, weapons, shelters, or shields the Zuuda becomes an invaluable resource for souls and immensely dangerous in the Beneath. A Zuuda can use ectoplasm to heal damage done to a soul, injure them, or even grant them power to manifest their spectral abilities. A Zuuda is the undisputed master of interactions with the ghostly undead. At Exalted, a Zuuda can harden their ectoplasm to take shape in the physical reality of Idalos. Ectoplasm tends to be a glistening black-grey, always seeming to move in a viscous fluid shimmer. Although immensely draining, a Zuuda can create objects and items from this ectoplasm that impart a powerfully chilling shock to those who come in contact with it. Outside a Zuuda’s hands, hardened ectoplasm lasts no longer than half a break before dissipating to the Beneath (where it is cannibalized by their denizens), but pushed into a corner a Zuuda is never without a weapon to defend themselves from the dangers of the world beyond or, often enough, the physical reality they call home.

The door-thing is how she goes to Zuudaria (Famula's Domain)

Skills

So it's above board and clear. Faith has used:
Discipline: She's Grandmaster in Discipline with 250/250, 86 Knowledge and 1 capstone here
Detection: She's Grandmaster in Detection with 265/250, 93 Knowledge and 3 capstones here, here and here

I figure that with that level of Discipline, she can act though she's terrified. Padraig can feel what she's feeling, so he'll know. Also, those Detections might be of importance, depending on what there is to see. Tastebuds is an active-use thing, so probably not, but I thought I'd include it there in case.

...until it is done...

[Gennadiya Lyosha]

Insert TimeStamp Here

Ironically Genna’s note taking habit can mainly be blamed on Faith herself. While Genna always took notes before her work with Faith had taught her that she didn’t take enough notes. The first big project they worked on they had taken many notes and Genna had discovered how much easier it was when it came time for experimentation as the avoided repeats.

So it was that Genna continued to take notes on everything, making both her research and the book seller happy. Genna paused in her note taking as the explanation on the Originals given by Faith. Genna was fairly well acquainted with the basic Immortals, one didn’t live long in Ne’haer with out getting a basic understanding, but Ymiden and Moseke, and to an extent Ilaren were the only ones she had any real extensive knowledge and not enough to know about their parents the originals. Genna made some notes about that and made a mental note to investigate it more at a later date.

After she had finished talking she picked up her note book and began to write up assignments. Hers was more research into Faldrun and to specifically talk with the Thunder Priestess. “You are right we could equally be dealing with Faldrun and a second more subtle person who is allowing Faldrun to put on his show.” Genna shuddered at the thought of that. From what she understood that other person would have to be extremely patient and subtle to manipulate them. Unless of course the Immortal had some type of hold on them. “Another person could make this harder or easier depending on if they are the one using the Immortal or if he has some hold over the other person.” Genna shook her head. “I am going to focus on my research into Faldrun, and if it appears that we are seeing different behavior then lets start looking for another mastermind.”

Genna paused as the conversation turned to testing the gems out on animals. While Genna wasn’t much of pet person she didn’t want to harm animals but she looked up at Faith and her husband. “I agree that testing on animals isn’t ideal, but if we can’t figure how these things work then we can’t figure out how to unmake them work.” Genna titled her head and said. “Now who do we want to do these tests.” Genna really didn’t want to but if necessary would do them, though in all honesty with what was on her list and her responsibilities at the Fortress she wouldn’t had a lot of time. “Who ever does it though should have fighting back up since if successful I suspected the original instructions will kick in and having seen that first hand it would be best to be prepared to put down any flametouched we create, assuming it would even work.”

Soon they moved on to their actual study of the Gems themselves. It went to show you how much Genna had seen in the past two arcs. When she had first arrived at Rharne she wouldn’t have even suspected people could summon souls or trap them. Now she still respected it but didn’t surprise her. Genna carefully set her notes to the side to watch intently as the spirit was summoned. Genna reacted as soon as the creature began to form in the room. She reached out briefly connected there two souls together. Using her ability, Eye of the Beholder, Genna wanted to understand what the motivations and the drive of this spirit was.

Even as the soul began to half form Genna felt part of herself shudder in horror but the other part of herself felt an understanding towards the creature. She could feel the deep seated hatred that was the core this soul. Genna felt herself sink to the ground, but not faint as she focused and struggled to understand what she was feeling. This was a long standing hatred, one that was supported by ever facest of the soul, from personal to familial, culture and yes even religious. It was massive. A web that was affected by so many elements. Insults, discrimination, cruelness, danger even, and yes resentment.

“Oh Ymiden help me understand.” Genna verbal pleaded even as the creature began to fade. With it went any ability to really immerse herself anymore in the feelings of the creature. Genna felt the tears come down her checks as her eyes and her mind had beheld the utter destruction of that soul. No wonder the creatures wished to kill them. Genna had felt this way once, and in her own mind eye she saw her sister being killed again. She felt the anger, the hatred, the desire to destroy once again. Genna understood those emotions. She remembered her own primordial scream as she flew across the darken ally way. Genna her eyes wide open tilted her head upwards and cried out from the depth of her soul. ‘Oh Ymiden, Oh beloved. Please help your Favored to understand, to help these souls. Their pain is real and it has consumed them. Is this one soul in this much pain, or did I feel the cry of a people. Oh please bring me to you and help me understand how I can help bring relief, forgiveness and maybe even rebirth for this soul.’ Genna closed her eyes the silent tears still trickling down her face. ‘Oh help me. Help me understand how I can help those I love turn aside this anger.”

Genna lowered her head, her soul having cried out to her master. The one who had helped her. So it was that she was half aware as Faith also sought the wisdom of her Immortal. Genna wasn't sure if Ymiden would reply she was only a favored after all, but he had always somehow helped her in the past.

"Genna", "NPC"

!	Message from: Squirrel
	In response to Genna's prayer, she feels a slight calming effect, helping to clear her thoughts and soothe her frayed emotions, as Ymiden attempts to stop his Marked from falling into despair, or possibly insanity. However, he offers no guidance. It is a path she must walk by herself.

[Padraig]

It appeared that any task or puzzle that related to the strange and dangerous ...ernickle creatures these trials of late, was one that fell neatly into the category of 'as soon as possible'. He had ideas about how one might go about discouraging the burrowing variety of these things. But as of yet, they were mere fancies of the imagination still in their infancy. He'd do some serious thinking on the topic but for now there were other more pressing matters at hand.

Yes, at any rate, if a visit to the Spire was in order, if no one else was already planning something along those lines, he'd be more than willing to go. They'd each shared their thoughts, one with the other. But when Faith took the gems and turned her focus on them, all the other noise faded away. The soul that she'd summoned forth was like something he'd never seen before. He knew Faith's sense of terror, they shared the sort of connection that ensured it. As for himself, the scholar didn't scare easy. If he had, he'd never have returned to the edge of the world and ventured beyond it, after his previous experience there.

Experimented on, or at least incapacitated and leered over, observed by dragons no less with a macabre yet mysterious sort of interest in him. In retrospect, that was child's play. Perhaps it was the immediate threat that the thing presented to Faith herself. That was the difference. And then there was the undeniable pain, the hopelessness, the sense of loss. He knew loss as well and this confrontation seemed to amplify that feeling. He wasn't the only one affected and he started when Gennadiya sunk to the floor and sent up a prayer. Padraig was blessed by several Immortals and then there was his mother Famula. And yet he wasn't much of a praying man. All of them knew it and didn't seem to mind. But his sense of empathy was no less sincere.

And then the thing was gone, as quickly as it had come. Just as well, he suspected that in spite of the knowledge he'd amassed over the arcs and his skills with a weapon as well, he had very little up his sleeve that would put that thing back in a pinch. Faith, in that regard, managed it for them. And then Faith, just as quickly, was gone as well. He didn't care for her going alone, but knew that in this regard he was out of his depth, and was needed, right where he was. "Be careful," he said, something stating the obvious.

Before turning to the gems in order to conduct his own experiments, he wanted to make sure that Gennadiya and Elisabeth were alright. Reaching out a hand to Gennadiya to help her up, Padraig said, "Are you alright? Both of you?" he asked again, glancing towards Elisabeth. "Let me help you to a chair." And then once Gennadiya was settled, he turned to the gems and placed his hat on his head. Before examining them, he explained to the others just what he would do. "I'm going to examine these gems, and doing so won't require me to lay hands on them. This hat," he explained, "allows me to think and process information much more quickly and clearly."

"The spectacles, allow me to examine an item and, or, the world around me. In a sense, they function much like a telescope meant for observing the night sky, or a device that I might use to examine something so microscopic that it can not be seen by the human eye. They enhance what I see and the hat allows me to process that very quickly and clearly. The goggles," he said finally, and held up the things that looked for all the world like something he might wear in his alchemy lab to protect his eyes. "enable me to read impressions and memories. What I see may reveal the history attached to these gems. The tricky bit is that what I see in that history, is more like a shuffled deck of cards. Out of order, bits and pieces strung together rather than in a linear manner."

"The process takes time for all to be revealed, though those moments in history that are most impactful, more traumatic or emotional, will tend to present themselves first, while the less dramatic moments will trail in in their wake." After equipping himself, then placing a blank notebook on the table along with a pencil in front of him, he said, "I may speak aloud during the process but don't know what opportunities I'll have to take notes till it's over. You might want to take notes of your own."

And then he set to work, examining the gems but careful not to touch them. This was the first time that he'd used the hat, the spectacles and the goggles. He'd been curious to know just how they'd work, what he might experience on a personal level. But what Padraig hadn't anticipated was the onslaught, or how quickly it washed over him. Turned out, it wasn't as easy to take notes as he might have hoped it would be. But hopefully the two women could jot down what he couldn't. And when he was done, he'd take the time to fill them in on the missed bits. All of it from start to finish, sights, smells, images and feelings, even those details that might not seem as important.

If the sense of empathy wasn't a physical one, it might as well have been. The excruciating pain came rushing in with a vengeance, so overwhelming that it stole his breath away and he tensed from head to toe in response, fighting to remain connected and hold his level of concentration. The smells, the sounds, the anguish, all feeling as if it would never stop. A much more soothing, sympathetic presence emerged and at least it gave him a few trills to catch his breath. It was at that moment that Padraig was able to speak aloud the words as spoken to him, the sights that he witnessed, just as he was experiencing them.

'It's only a matter of time before they discover what the true cost to their arrogance is. That they do not see what is right before their eyes. Do not fret; we will change them yet. Until then, you know what you must do.' A latch pulling up, heavy doors rolling open, moans. Too many. Hundreds of voices, agony, screaming, begging,crying, muttering in a language I've never heard before. Men, women, children, animals, dogs, cats, creatures I've never heard before. 'Prove to them what they already knew. Burn in glory.'

To be honest, it was a relief to finally pull the goggles off, and before he replaced them with the spectacles, he took what notes he'd missed, and described it all to Gennadiya and Elisabeth. Then putting the spectacles on, he turned back to the gems. This, what he saw and his impressions of it, was much easier to convey to the pair of women in the moment as he observed it, than the previous onslaught had been. He did so in detail before finally pulling the spectacles off, filling in his notes, adding his own observations and then standing back.

!

Message from: Squirrel

Using the Thinking Cap and Scientist Spectacles during examinations of the gem also helps Padraig to identify patterns matching that of a Soul Gem at its core - however the surface angles and structure seems warped in comparison, in a way that could only have come from an interruption during the formation, and the addition of a second energy source to the partially-formed soul gem core. To outside eyes, this makes the gem appear like a new formation unseen before - something half-way between a soul gem and an ether well. Only a significant and concentrated energy could have interrupted the crystallisation to artificially manifest this cross-breed. However, it is not something Immortal-designed, since an Immortal would have no need for half-measures in creating a new consciousness.

[Elisabeth Black]

The meeting had been productive in identifying new leads that needed to be chased down. She appreciated the way their minds worked and noted that each person had much to offer the conversation. Madly writing down notes as each spoke their thoughts, she found dozens of things that she would need to follow up on later – for her own knowledge. References made to locations that she hadn’t known existed interested her, like most things. None of which was relevant to what they were doing – she just wanted to know more.

Like Gennadyia, Elisa was familiar with Immoral lore but the revelation that Fei was an Original…and that there were such beings as Originals…was shocking. Part of her wondered why knowledge of the Originals was rare. All great questions for another time. Padraig’s suggestion that the book she had found so long ago might have disappeared on purpose just added another layer to the mystery.

Faith outlined a few things that she wanted to try, capturing Elisa’s attention as witnessing it in action would be a new experience for her. She wasn’t exactly sure what was going on…but she didn’t want to miss it.

What happened next was the beginning of a new world for Elisabeth.

Watching Faith work with the gem was fascinating although she really didn’t understand what was happening. It was the first time witnessing someone with abilities such as hers and she really didn’t want to muck up the moment with a bunch of questions. Remembering back to what Faith had said at the beginning of the meeting – "I want to check if I see the same Aukari male. I'm then going to try and bring his soul here. If he's dead, that will work.” – she tried to focus on that while Faith did her thing.

What actually happened was something that she would never forget. A black mass burst forth, all char and fire. Taking a step back, she watched it carefully but didn’t retreat or react. She didn’t have enough information yet. Overreacting was sometimes as bad as not reacting at all so for the moment, she chose to observe. Its ear-piercing scream was something that would fuel a few nightmares in the coming trials. Trust was not something she was good with historically…but in this case, she had to trust that Faith knew what she was doing. Making sure to stay out of everyone’s way, Elisa circled behind them – an observer to the paranormal. Her heartbeat betrayed the emotions inside – fear and uncertainty – but she did her best not to let it show. The questions would come later…but for the moment, her mind was silent, as if something knew she needed to simply watch and be still.

Watching Faith deal with the black, fiery mass, she desperately wanted to do something to help but knew that she couldn’t. It was beyond her – always a tough pill to swallow but there it was. She had to remain vigilant though in case something occurred that she could do or help with. Simply admitting one couldn’t do anything and giving up was the lazy way out and she didn’t subscribe to that particular trait.

Gennadyia was another matter. She had no idea what the woman was doing but somehow, she seemed to be tapped into the emotions of…something? The soul they had brought forth, perhaps? Trills went by and she had collapsed on the floor. Moving over to where she was, Elisa simply stood guard, not wanting to interfere but there if needed. Should something go wrong with the black fire blob thing Faith was dealing with, Gennadyia would possibly be in danger as part of her mind was dealing with something else and unable to react quickly. If nothing else, that is what Elisa could do.

Once Faith disappeared – another first for Elisa – attentions turned to Padraig and his experiments. Nodding in response to his query about her well-being, she assisted him in helping Gennadyia to a chair. “A few firsts there, I must admit. You?”

She listened carefully as he explained what he was going to do. This time, she was on high alert. The first incident had caught her off-guard but that wasn’t going to happen again. Heeding his advice, she grabbed her journal quickly and prepared to write down anything that occurred or words he might say.

The experience with Padraig was less intense than the black fire blob thing – although she wasn’t sure he would say the same, being the one experiencing it. She silently marveled at the abilities and contraptions that helped collect answers. She had no idea where any of them came across them or the stories behind such, but maybe someday she would ask. It was then that he visibly stiffened and it appeared to her that some sort of trauma was taking hold. Feeling helpless once again, she mustered the will she had to let things play out. She wasn’t alone and she didn’t have to do everything on her own. These people knew what they were doing, and she just needed to believe in that. When Padraig started speaking, she wrote everything down word for word. One sentence jumped out at her though - “we will change them yet”. Maybe it was referring to the gems? Were the gems a catalyst to changing a host? Speaking softly, she mentioned the thought to both Gennadyia and Padraig. “Is it possible that the gems are being used to manipulate a host? It was speculated that perhaps whoever was behind this was using animals for their natural abilities, to control them. I know we talked about the possibility…but when they say, ‘we will change them yet’, that denotes a certain definite act. It wasn’t ‘we will make them see our way’ or something more subtle. ‘We will change them’ – that’s something different. I could be taking it way out of context though.”

It was simply more speculation…but it was all she had for the moment.

[Faith Augustin]

In this place of wrath and tears...

17th Vhalar, 720

Later - when this was done and she was able to reflect on it - Faith would consider that her surprise at how well the ectoplasm worked must have meant that she rather assumed it wouldn't. And, in fairness, that was very true. But, her unfounded worries aside, she was suddenly faced with a ... prisoner, she supposed. But whatever this was, whatever was causing it and however they were doing it, it was vile. An affront to all things natural and to Famula, this soul was being warped and tortured and it had to stop. It would stop. She would not allow for anything else.

In order to "cure" it, the young doctor knew, she had to understand it. To understand it, she needed to study it; and that was something which she simply could not do here; so she quickly drew the door and she stepped through the strange shimmering portal. Be careful Padraig said to her and Faith glanced at him with a small, tight smile. "You, too." Two words from him, two from her; but the message between them ran into volumes. It had always been that way between them.

Then, Faith was gone from the room.

Stepping into Zuudaria she felt the familiar, comforting and comfortable, chill in the air and her silver eyes glowed red. "I need assistance," she said to the first wisp she saw and, quickly, she explained what it was she needed. A soul she needed to examine, one that was damaged and damaging. Ectoplasm was holding it, Faith explained, but there was danger in letting it go, she described what had happened, and the level of danger it posed. She was clear, calm and precise in her language; her delivery of information was professional.

But, there was no doubting it, Famula's Champion was rather concerned. They asked what she needed, and she told them. A space where the soul could not escape from - that was easy enough, considering they knew that ectoplasm held it - but also, she needed to study it, to understand it as much as she could. Faith said, quite calmly, to the Wisp in question. "I need to know how he died, I have the ability to find that out, but then what happened afterwards, too. What links are there with Famula, with Vri? Did he even begin to move on, can he be brought back. That kind of thing. Something has happened which has twisted this soul so awfully, it is an offense to our Lady and I would have us cure this individual, allow them to re-enter the natural order."

It was a big job, Faith knew and so she spoke to the Wisps and, while they were preparing the space, Faith used her link with the other Champions to request - if they could and would - and they came to help her. She was careful to be clear, it was non-urgent, but whatever this was it was important, she believed, that they found out.

And then, they got to work. The soul did not come easily, and it tried to harm them, to combat them, every step of the way. But here, in Famula's Domain, was where they could - hopefully - turn that around. "I need to understand it," Faith explained to the wisps. "to know what it is, what this energy is and how it works. I believe someone, or something, is deliberately harming souls in this way and I will stop it in Famula's name." And so, with every precaution and as slowly as necessary to ensure it was safe, they proceeded. The other Champions who came - if any did - would come to help, Faith knew, and she simply got on with trying to make sense of this.

And doing that took time.

With meticulous attention to detail Faith first worked with those who were there with her to create a place - a prison, in a way - of ectoplasm which was a room. Here, they could do that, no doubt. Build it around the soul as it currently was, and have a place for him to be, where they could examine him, discover what was happening, and do everything they could. Restrained if necessary, Faith did not want to have to do that, but it was obvious the soul was trying to harm them and she knew that her discovery of what this was might just be the single most important weapon in the war against the creatures. She had to stop whoever was doing this to souls, she knew, and so it was with a feeling of regret but no hesitation that she worked to restrain the soul to the maximum needed.

And then - with as much help as was available - she got to work.

First, she took observations - everything was checked, measured, weighed, noted. Throughout, she asked him questions, noted his behaviours, etc. Then, they moved on to what she would term 'passive' abilities and, finally, she would actively experiment. If the other Champions were there, then she would ask them to do the same. First, those abilities which were passive, but might be very important - and those she undertook one at a time, and made sure to record results. Constantly questioning him, she watched his reactions carefully.

Once that was done there were more active abilities which she wanted to utilise, but first, they took all the information they needed to. It was obvious that he was - to a greater or lesser extent - a thinking, rational being, and so she spoke, suddenly changing the way she spoke to him and, she hoped, catching him off guard. "I would very much rather you answered me, honestly, about this. But be assured, I will use all means at my disposal to find out what the answer is. Now, tell me about the gem, about the creature you have become, this gem nestled inside. Do you remember? Do you remember how your soul became attached to a gem inside a creature of flame?" And, as she asked, she looked him in the eyes and took his memories.

OOC stuff for Squirrel

Off Topic

Useful Info
Famula Champion NPCs: here - Faith and they worked together during the War of Death & Souls and they each have a "Greater Servant's Mark" which means they're all always able to teleport to one another / communicate etc.
Because it's quite a list, I'm actually just going to list here the skills, capstone and abilities she uses and details of them.
Skills
1. Detection (relevant capstone Insight )
2. Investigation (relevant capstone Meticulous Analysis )
3. Psychology (relevant capstone Like a Book
4. Logistics (relevant capstone Every Eventuality )
5. Tactics (relevant capstone Unpredictable Strategem ) - relevant for memory-taking.


Abilities
1.Zuuda Favoured. Know the Master
A Zuuda with this ability can see the lines of service that bind an individual. A powerful ability, the Zuuda must observe someone, concentrate on them for at least two bits at Favored, one bit at Adored and at Exalted, the Zuuda need only concentrate for a few trill (seconds), and use this ability. Know the Master will bring the face or the sigil of who or what the individual serves in their heart. Often a Zuuda never has to ask who someone works for, they can see the truth of their service and devotion within their soul. If the individual only serves themselves or serves nothing in particular, this ability only imparts a cold sense of emptiness.
She does this on the soul

2. Gwelliph Favoured: Hear No Evil.
This ability allows the character to decipher what is the truth and what are lies when communicating with other individuals. Regardless of language, the character will be able to tell lie from truth when they concentrate on the words someone else is saying. This is a kind of sense that the mark grants the character, the exact sensation of which is up to the PC. However, this sense has little effect on the dead or Wisps. This ability cannot work if the speaker is convinced of the lie itself. At Favored, the PC can be fooled by Expert levels of Deception. At Adored, it takes Master and Exalted are only blinded by those with Grandmaster of Deception. The ability is activated by the Blessed’s intent, and so happens immediately, and lasts for a break.
She does this throughout, listening for what he says and any lies he tells

3. Zuuda Adored: Wisp Body
Approximately once a trial, when the sun has left the sky, the Zuuda is capable of taking on the night form of a Wisp for a single Break. This ability can not be used at all during Saun but is able to be activated twice per trial in Cylus. Their form grows insubstantial, glows the ethereal glimmer of active ectoplasm, and the marked becomes capable of walking through non magical barriers as easily as pushing through water. While the marked is unable to meaningfully interact with any physical object while in this form, neither can they be interacted with, and, although they can hear the world around them, they can not communicate verbally. Some Zuuda have used this ability to escape physical altercation, blades and weapons passing through them harmlessly. A Zuuda is unable to cast magic in this state (if they dared to learn it in the first place), and can drift at their jogging speed in any direction. While not swift, this does impart a kind of flight. At the end of the break, the Zuuda comes quickly back into physical form, no matter where they are. Most Zuuda are cautious to make sure they won’t end up between objects or suspended in midair when they return to themselves. A Zuuda can return to themselves at any point before the Break, but can only use this ability again once a Trial has passed.
She does this on herself - turning into a wisp to see if she sees anything differently

4. Bellinos Adored: Shadow of Demise
This ability marks the Death on any person or object, revealing them to the marked. The Bellinos is instantly aware if any object has brought death, is intended to bring death, or has been created to bring death. While weapons are obviously made to slay, this ability allows a Bellinos to instantly recognize poison or a disguised concealed weapon. Magical items designed to kill will also immediately reveal themselves beneath the Bellinos' perceptions. A Bellinos can sense the amount of life any person they look upon has taken, measuring the shadows behind them or the blood dripping from their hands that only they can see. This ability cannot be ignored or nullified. Some Bellinos see this as a curse, forced to look on the active agents of death in the world, while others see it as an advantage to know whom to avoid and what items may promise unexpected peril.
She uses this on him - but also on the energy between him and the gem

Finally: Belinos Adored: Stolen Moments.
Sometimes a Bellinos is not the kindest within the realm of memories. Stolen moments steals a memory being recalled from one mind and adds it to the Bellinos. So long as the Bellinos maintains eye contact, they can steal whatever memory is currently being actively recalled in the victim. Often, a Bellinos will do this to steal particularly damaging memory from one individual and deal with it themselves.
She uses it on him and the aim is that, even if he doesn't answer, he can't stop himself thinking about it. She'll use whatever tricks needed from her observations / psychology skill

...looms but the horror of the shade...