• Graded • [Faldrass] Fire Forged: Basecamp

[Rei'sari]

120th Ashan, 720

Location: Smooglenuff Manor, Faldrass



Fate worked in strange ways. Ever since Ari'sora was a young child, she had read about many different places on Scalvoris. One of them had been Faldrass. But until Ymiden of 718 she had never even gone past Ren'zar's house and yard never mind explored the island. Now that she was free to live her life as she chose, one of the many things she wanted to do was to see some of the places she had read about.

She had been saving up to buy a house for seasons, and she had finally managed to buy one earlier this season. And since she had had a little left over, she decided to splurge a bit and take a trip to see some of the places she had read about as a child. The decision to go to Faldrass first had been as simple as asking one of the children who lived at Luna's Dream to write the names of the different areas on the island on scraps of paper and put them into a bag. Then she picked one, and the destination of her first trip had been settled.

After spending several trials in Faldrass, Ari'sora couldn't help but be glad that fate had chosen this as her first trip. It was a wonderful place. She and Ryl'ryn had visited the market place where they had bought gifts for themselves, the kids, and the kids Ari'sora helped at Luna's Dream. They also visited Serenity Garden, and had spent several trials at the Spirit's Rest Oasis in the hopes of dealing with several issues that plagued them both. Mi'zuri had remained back home with most of the children, but at a mere forty five trials old, Tenryu was too little to be left at home.

When they had heard the call for help, something deep inside Ari'sora drove her to see if there was anything she could do to help. But neither of them were willing to risk any harm to her youngest son, so Ryl'ryn remained at the Oasis with Tenryu. Smooglenuff Manor was a beautiful estate, but the front door was so intimidating that Ari'sora hesitated to knock on it. The kind of people who lived in a place like this couldn't possibly have any interest in someone like her. And yet...they had asked for help. So Ari'sora steeled herself and knocked on the door. The sound the knocker made was startling as it resonated through the house, but perhaps more startling was the fact that there was no volcanic ash here as there was in other parts of Faldrass. Was there a reason for this? Perhaps the baron who lived here would tell them.

Ari'sora was greeted at the door by a man who introduced himself as Winston. The man explained that he was the chief of staff for
Smooglenuff Manor as he welcomed her inside. There were several people there already, and it wasn't long until Winston called for someone named ChiChi. ChiChi turned out to be a maid. A very creepy looking maid who reminded Ari'sora uneasily of the child monster that tried to eat Hart last Ashan. She eyed the maid cautiously, wondering if the woman would take it into her head to try and eat them.

Instead, she led them into a large, comfortable looking room where food and beverages were waiting for them. Ari'sora saw a pastry that looked to be made out of a light white cake and was covered in strawberries and strawberry sauce. Her eyes widened in delight, and she took both it and a glass of fruit juice before taking a seat.

As the baron addressed them, Ari'sora was confused and alarmed in turns. She had no idea what a Diet was, and she had no idea what to think about suddenly becoming a member of his Conclave of Elders...whatever that was. She didn't know who Zach was, but the idea that something was living under the volcano was a horrifying one. What kind of creature could live in a place like that? Whatever it was...it was probably dangerous, and Ari'sora just hoped that it didn't eat people. The idea that the creature might be gone was worse because that meant it had probably escaped the volcano and was wandering around Faldrass. And when the baron told them that this rescue mission was a mission to rescue all of Scalvoris, Ari'sora's heart skipped a beat in worry. The last time she had been caught up in something like this, Emea had been destroyed. She could only hope that this rescue mission would end better than that one had.

The baron spoke of groups that the volunteers would be split into, and people began joining whichever group they chose. Ari'sora lingered a little, wanting to ask a question before she chose which group she wanted to join.

"You said that you think there's some kind of creature that lives in the volcano." Ari'sora began when it was her turn to ask questions.

"What makes you think that? Do you know anything about this creature? Like...um...do you think that it eats people?" she asked with a shudder.

[Alyssia]

Alyssia followed the group to the Smooglenuff manor. While most of them gave her a funny look the teen did not care. She had taken her time to work with her disguise kit to help make herself look older, but it did not seem to help her much. Even after several hours, the girl was not sure if she would be allowed to help with what was happening. Looking around, the teen tried to act like she belonged within the group. Some splintered off till all that was left was a woman that had knocked on the door before being invited in. The teen ran forward and managed to just squeeze into the manor before the door closed.

Wincing, she pulled her shoe free glad that she was no longer running around bare footed. Moving as quietly as Alyssia could, the girl tried to keep hidden behind some of the older and taller people to see who everyone was. She had not really heard much about this supposed Baron. Of course, the girl had not really been one to care about what was going on within the city. The young Aukari had not really felt like she had a home since she was taken.

“Hello,” Alyssia said very gently trying to keep a very calm delivery.

The last thing, she needed to do was to bring attention to herself before the baron made it down there. Moving around, the girl stayed towards the back of the pack while watching. The man who introduced himself as the butler to the baron appeared to be very put together. Almost too put together like it were a show, the woman who he called for named ChiChi appeared to be much less “formal”. Though her clothes appeared to be very much that of what a maid could be. Nerves began to course through the girl’s body as the group is moved through the manor.

Her eyes darted all over the place amazed seeing all the items that were in the home. The girl had never seen so many beautiful things all in one location. The baron speaking caused the teen to jerk back into the present moment. Her head tilted some confused when he spoke about the people in the room being on his council. Alyssia had never known of an individual to have their own council like a city does. She wiggled behind the group of people not wanting the Baron to see her just yet. Though her make up made her look older, the teen doubted he would be thrilled to have her trying to help.

It was the sight of Nir’wei that helped her relax. Moving carefully, she made her way over to where the man was standing. It helped to calm her nerves knowing there was a familiar face in the area. There had been several instances where the pair had met and helped each other during very dangerous tasks. Surely, he would be able to vouch for her ability to handle intense situations. Once Nir had spoken to the baron, Alyssia walked up and took a deep breath.

“Hello, sir. It is a pleasure to be in your home. I am prepared to help in any way that I can despite my young age,” Alyssia stated with a bow at the waist.

She had never been taught to curtsy as others had done. So there was only hope he would not take it disrespectful.

[Max]

The darkening of the Baron's expensive doorstep wasn't an action of altruism. "Doing good" wasn't generally in the wheel-house of a career criminal who had been hardened by the penal system of this island. At least not for an ex-convict of Maxine's caliber. She didn't care that some gloomy mountain grumbled and groaned, desperate for the attention of the island's inhabitants. So long as she was a safe distance away, but close enough to get a good view, she wasn't kidding when she swore she'd be happy to see Scalvoris sink beneath the surface of the ocean. The heroism of a rescue mission hadn't drawn her to Faldrass. The call of a desperate, apparently wealthy socialite did.

Winston probably hadn't been expecting the likes of her, let alone the large reptilian mutt flanking her. A body was a body, able even if not entirely willing. To the man's greeting, Maxine merely murmured some sort of acknowledgement and gave him a wave. Her boots were already moving toward the interior before she even manged to introduce herself with a brief, "Max." Her first step wasn't the more inspiring. Her boots fell heavy on the ground, and the smell of lingering booze was evident. Anticipating some uneasiness, she was quick to shrug off any reservations the head of staff had about her choice in companion before they had a chance to be voiced. "Relax. He's so friendly it's annoying. Come on, Good."

The big, dumb barghest looked up at his master, tongue lolling out of the sudden, dopey grin that colored his scaly visage. Happy to be along for the ride and liberated from the confines of The Red Hand, Good practically bounded at her hip inside the Smooglenuff residence. Winston might've been the head of house among the servants, but Maxine regarded him with as much interest as any of the exquisite paintings on the walls. ChiChi, on the other hand, became of nearly immediate curiosity upon her arrival. There was an undertone of danger in her amusing demeanor which drew the criminal's eye. The unassuming maid get-up didn't have her fooled.

Once inside the meeting room, Maxine found her brow furrowing softly upon the discovery of so many others who answered the advertisement. She imagined most of them were irritatingly empathetic toward whatever cause they'd all sullied themselves to. To her, it was more simple. She'd heard talk in a tavern that a coin-loaded guy was looking for help, and she was here solely to exploit the opportunity of a reward. Even a favor from this sort of host was priceless, and she already managed to find herself connected to the appointed head of the Council.

While the Baron made his painful, crippled entrance to the room, Maxine found herself occupied with what he already had to offer. Plopped down lazily in a lounge chair, she had a full glass of rum in one hand and a soft roll of bread in the other. Both food and drink seemed to rule her attention over the humble, grave speech of the Baron. She was admittedly already intoxicated, but by the rate she was going, she'd stem herself from beginning that downward slide a bit longer. While the Baron spoke over her head and strangers asked their questions, Maxine was drawn to observing those that she'd apparently be forced to work with.

Maxine was quite certain she didn't know any of the faces in the room at that present moment. One of the voices sounded eerie familiar, but not in the way that made her think they'd suffered a drink in the same tavern once. It was the sort that made her hair stand a bit more on end. Whatever the familiarity was that she thought she sensed, it wasn't one associated with any sort of fondness. She didn't linger on the individual long. Good's panting from where he sat by her feet had grown both in volume and distraction. It drew her back into the bigger picture enough to catch something the Baron suggested.

Something living down there? Under the volcano?

Maxine's teeth sheared a piece of the roll off with more force than probably necessary. She frowned deeply while she chewed. Sure, she was hungry, but a certain memory was making her more eager to consume food just to give the alcohol something to soak into at this point.

If this is another Abanaxus, dragon-in-the-mountain thing, I'm going to lose my fucking mind.

For now her brain was going to settle on things that made more sense to her than an enraging past. She was no newcomer to exploring and surviving far below the surface in the unknown. The ex-convict of Slags Deep's lowest level was perhaps the best suited for the Exploration Team. It was a more fitting role than picking daisies on the mountainside or pulling trapped kids from the rubble. That said, it wasn't lost on her that it also sounded the one with the highest stakes.

Why am I not surprised?

"Let's say Exploration Team finds your problem underground," Maxine entertained Smooglenuff's objective after finishing her glass of rum. "How much discretion are we being allowed to 'fix it'? That's if you want it fixed at all." While she regarded the Baron carefully from her seat, drool oozed down from Good's hanging tongue onto the carpet.

[Kalortah]

As he alighted to the grounds of the Smooglenuff estate, Kalortah sighed. As tall as it rose over the surrounding landscape, he was not impressed. However much he tried to understand the glory of the more impressive structures that humans made, they never seemed anything more than passing quaint. To have one’s front entrance at ground level?! How barbaric! What kind of savage would or could think themselves noble, entering through a slave’s door at ground level?

Nevertheless, as they met Smooglenuff, he appeared confident, poised, and eloquent. Yet that self-assurance wasn’t to mitigate Kalortah’s disdain. That someone could compose themselves in such a way without glory trailing behind them, was simply beyond comprehension. It was as if the entire world was upside down. He could tolerate well enough the human customs in their lowlier districts, but to meet those they held above their poor and needy and working? Their landed gentry and nobles? It was beyond confusing for the Avriel.

Even so, he sealed his disdain deep inside, putting on a veil-thin veneer of civility as he listened and waited for the guide to arrive. He did not carouse with the rest of those gathered, and hopefully would not be expected to come closer to their kind than he had to. He only needed to fly around, spot the survivors, and shout for someone to help them. Those were his talents, as they related to this task.

So he waited for Winston to take them off, to the expeditionary. In the meantime, he only had one question for Smooglenuff, ”I will not be expected to carry anyone on the wing. My role will be to spot survivors on the ground, and then supervise and command the mud-walkers to scrounge them up. I have a very loud voice for giving commands. So that will be my role here. Yes?” Kalortah nodded at his own question.

Once he received his answer from Smooglenuff, he’d trail well behind the rest of the Evacuation Crews, not deigning at any point to engage with the rabble.

[Luka Magnus]

How Luka had come to still be within this foreign land of Scalvoris, was a story for another trial. All that one needed to know was that it resulted in the Melrathi noble stepping across the front entrance of a Baron’s home. He glanced around, politely, but he felt no sense of awe or the like. It looked about the same as the home he’d grown up in, though of different architecture and decor, and the manor was smaller and far more dour by comparison. For there were no children running about here, no laughter and screams of play. No women gathered around the hearth fire, in conversation, nor men at the long table to discuss tactics to come.

Foreign lords had odd homes, decided Luka, because they were so isolated compared to the holds of the Melrathi nobles. It was as if they wanted to keep their many rooms and open spaces as empty as possible, rather than filled with warmth and life.

Luka thought about this some while he observed another thing that struck him as odd. A butler… he understood the concept, but it was still an unusual thing to witness. The maid was a bit closer, though he saw no Baroness for the handmaiden to wait on.

He kept quiet. His attire was modest, in ordinary Scalvori fashion, and he kept his arms firmly crossed over his chest. A thick belt hung heavy at his hips, laden with satchels, pouches, and an odd-shaped leather holster that hung to one side. The mage barely thought about the other people there. Whatever had brought them, whatever their motives, none of that mattered to him.

What did matter were things better left to the depths of his minds. He politely accepted a drink, but only of water.

Without much thought, he stood next to a chair where an already drunk woman seemed to be lounging. Spirits, she reeked of booze. He accidentally made eye contact when she observed those around her. Luka cleared his throat, though he didn’t avert his gaze. He stared at Maxine for several trills, scanned her appearance in full, then finally looked away.

The Melrathi listened to the various comments and questions traded among the group. He sipped his water. In a moment’s quiet, and as others had gotten their answers and headed away, he took the opportunity to nod in acknowledgment to the Baron. He introduced himself to the Baron by his first name, not including his noble surname, and said with his Melrathi accent, “The thing under the Volcano, whatever it is, might not mean to cause undue trouble…. could be an Induk.”

Luka nodded again, then left to follow the group that went with Winston.

[Pegasus]

120th Ashan, 720

And so, they came. The Baron had half expected that they would not but they did. They came , and they collected gear and information and they agreed to help. It was enough. It would be enough. He was sure of it.

The young woman who called herself Abigail (although the Baron's eyes narrowed - just slightly - at her introduction. Must be the curtsy, right?) seemed friendly enough. "Thank you," he replied with a smile. But he said no more than that. To Devin, though, he nodded with a slightly tense smile. "Most kind," he replied. "But I fear that what ails me is un-treatable." As for where his family was, that caused a slight eyebrow raise, although not much of one. "They will not," he said - be involved that was. Again, he said no more than that.

He seemed, if anyone noticed such things, much more approving of Balthazaar's question. "Yes, it is," he responded, when Balthazar pointed out that grumbling from the volcano was normal. "But I've grown to know her, over the arcs. And she's never made sounds like that before." If referring to a volcano as "she" was odd, he didn't seem to notice. "The grumblings and belches are different. Unusual. Persistently so." The Baron nodded to him. "That is an insightful question. Thank you for asking it."

To Darius he nodded. "You are the first proper, equipped, planned investigation. However, " he was quick to add. "a number of residents of the island, and possibly visitors, have gone exploring lately."

For Wald it was odd. He was brought in and the Baron spoke to him. Yet, Wald was in a room alone. Had they recognised the band across his forehead? Perhaps. There was certainly a difference in how he was treated compared to everyone else. Of course, he didn't know this until later. Unfortunately, for him, this meant that he did not know of the questions (or answers) - but thus is the price when one is cursed by Raskalarn among loyal followers. When Oram spoke up though, back in the group, the Baron turned his hawk-like gaze to him. "There are people and animals there all the time, but yes." Smooglenuff answered. "As I said, more and more people are noticing, and starting to explore. Better this group is equipped and it is dealt with properly. I am not aware of anyone going missing, but it is only a matter of time before some over-enthused and under equipped person does so."

At the sight of Yeva so earnest and with her book there, ready, the Baron turned his attention. "In many ways," he replied quietly, "we are cursed by too many legends and tales here. Maybe it is the shadow beasts, or the dark ships. Perhaps there are creatures untold down there. I simply do not know enough to hazard a guess. There are tales which say that, beneath Faldrass lies the core of all the elements, the place called the Heart of Scalvoris. But I do not know if that is anything more than a children's story". If he seemed endeared to Yeva, less so to Nir'wei, who approached with the growling questions for Zach. It was the Baron, not Zach, who answered. He did so quickly, like he was stepping in. "It's hardly..." But Zach put his hand on the Baron's arm and nodded to Nir'wei. "I was mapping the ice caves. I found some of the ice-statues which have been found before, and then in walked a group exploring Faldrass. Two arcs of my life, I have no idea what happened, but I know that it's a good job they recognised me." He looked Nir'wei straight in the eyes and said, low and quiet and emotional. "Because I was one of the statues, you see. I don't know how it happened of if this is linked. I think not, it was two arcs ago it happened to me. But when Rodriguez told me what he was doing - as I was here, I knew I had to help." His eyes met Nir'wei's and they didn't drop.

Ari'sora's question was a welcome relief, in a way, and so the Baron answered her. "We don't know," he said, honestly, about the idea of a creature. "There may not be one, or if there is then it may be entirely friendly. Yet, this is Scalvoris and, as such, I suppose we go to the idea that something has changed, it's probably a creature." If anyone wanted to change their mind, he assured them, now was the time. However, as Alyssia spoke to him, the Baron smiled - properly, for the first time since they'd arrived. "Well, there is danger, potentially, which I would not be comfortable sending one of such tender arcs into. I am, however, looking for someone to co-ordinate from here. Would you?" He asked. But whatever her answer, he wasn't letting her go on any mission which was into the unknown on to, in to, or under, an active volcano that had been behaving oddly.

Call him old-fashioned, he thought, but best not.

As for Max, her assurances to Winston seemed to be entirely unnecessary, but nonetheless gratefully received. "Indeed, ma'am. Thank you," came the respnse. However, when she spoke the Baron, she got a different response all together. "My problem?" Smooglenuff asked and one eyebrow raised. "If there is a problem down there and you're looking at it, I'd say it's at the least ours at that point, wouldn't you?" As for the second part of her question, his slender shoulder raised, just slightly. "Allowed? No one here is giving orders. If you don't want to help, don't. If you do, do." For Kalortah, too, there was relatively short shrift. "Again," he said, meeting the Avriel's gaze calmly. "I have asked you to help. Do, or do not. If you do not wish to work with the people leading the groups, then do not. If you wish to, then discuss with them where your role fits in best."

Following his words to the two people who seemed rather angry to be here - a strange thing for volunteers, he thought - he smiled slightly at Luke's observation. "Indeed. There is an imbalance, something has changed. We know no more than that," it was important to be clear there, after all. But he nodded and watched them as they left.


When they had all gone, the Baron and Alyssia were left. The Baron slowly led Alyssia into his study - a room filled, floor to ceiling, with books and parchments. There were maps on the walls, too, and, in the middle of the room was a large mahogany desk, on which were maps.. As he was informed by a man who looked almost exactly like Winston, but he referred to as Mordrid, that the Doctor had returned, Smooglenuff nodded. Then, to Devin and Alyssia, (when Devin was shown in - he was greeted by Winston's twin - Mordrid) - he spoke. "Those three scrolls," he gestured to three on the table. "Are linked to scrolls carried by each of Winston, ChiChi and Zach. They will report in via them. What you write there, they will see" He looked at the two of them. "I can communicate, telepathically, with Zach. Winston can with ChiChi, ChiChi with Zach, and Zach with me. However, they show me, it is not two-way and thus, I need you to write to them. Also," he added, quietly with a smile. "It takes all my concentration. So you two will need to decide. Any questions? "

General Info

!

Message from: Peg

"Basecamp" is currently OPEN to you. Anyone from any group may turn around and come back here OR exit the event. This is the last round this will be true. Round 1 is done. Questions asked. No more questions for the Baron at this point. Next Round Devin and Alyssia must post here. All other players must post in their group threads. Devin and Alyssia - you may assume that you know what's going on in each group - in the ROUND BEFORE this one. So - in your next post - you may respond to all the posts up to today. This delay happens due to the abilities in question - and the time to write. You can pass messages from one group to another etc - but you must let me know what you do - maybe set up a system in your posts?

Rules

• !	Message from: Rule 1
  	One post per PC per round unless there is direct instruction to the contrary in the mod-post. There is no posting order

• !	Message from: Rule 2
  	Alyssia and Devin must post in this thread on or before Monday 10th February 2020

• !	Message from: Rule 3
  	Please note:: Failing to post will have IC consequences. If you wish to exit the thread for some reason, then please speak to me in a PM and we'll work it out. However, if you simply stop posting, that will most likely have IC consequences on your pc which you will need to deal with next Cycle.

• !	Message from: Rule 4
  	Also important::No matter what level of risk / reward thread you're in - if you do something along the lines of walking up to an Immortal and yelling at them - you're going to get dead. The risk / reward is assuming a basic level of not-stupid from your pc. Please be aware, I'll adjust as needed.

• !	Message from: Rule 5
  	Play to your skill level. It helps me if, when you use a skill you maybe put an OOC note or such at the bottom to tell me what your skill is. I'll check your CS, no worries, it just takes me longer.

• !	Message from: Rule 6
  	Do not control the NPCs. They are mine.

Mod Style

I will, as usual, post secret objectives, post objectives, secret achievements etc. I've said it before, I'll say it again - this style of moderation was taught to me by one of the most talented storytellers I've ever met. His name was Crimson / Straylor, and I miss writing with him, very much. My thanks go to him.

The NPCs did it, not me.

No matter what level of risk / reward thread you're in - if you do something along the lines of walking up to an Immortal and yelling at them - you're going to get dead. The risk / reward is assuming a basic level of not-stupid from your pc. Please be aware, I'll adjust as needed.

The point of this is to have fun. Lets do that, shall we?

Specific Intelligence

Things you might find out / notice. - with an indication of who will know it / the criteria for knowing it

• The Baron has a lightning-strike tattoo on his face, over his eye, which is covered by make-up - anyone who posted in Round 1 above, spoke to the Baron directly AND has a detection of 65 /250 or more.
• Winston has a twin called Mordrid - Alyssia and Devin
• The Baron has an interest in / fascination with maps, geography, history - etc - of Scalvoris and the Eternal Empire. His study is full of information on those two areas . He also has lots of books on the Immortals - Alyssia and Devin

  !	Message from: Peg
  	There are secrets to discover about this location!

Status

Name	Status	Notes
Alyssia	Green	Currently on positive terms with all NPCs in this location
Devin	Green	Currently on positive terms with all NPCs in this location

Obectives

!	Message from: Objectives
	There is currently One must-do objective in this thread. You must work out a system for how you're going to manage your communication. There is currently One can-do objective in this thread. Find out something personal about the Baron .... somehow. How is up to you. There are currently TWO hidden objectives in this thread.

Threads

There are currently 4 active threads. We maintain the following statistics:

Thread	Status	Notes
Basecamp	Green	Currently an exit point. You may leave the thread at this point. Devin & Alyssia post here.
Group A	Green	Link
Group B	Green	Link
Group C	Green	Link

[Alyssia]

Alyssia watched around her as the different people that stepped forward to talk to the Baron. It seemed not everyone had arrived at the same time. The teen tried to pay attention to what everyone was doing while also focusing on anything the baron was saying. Though that was proving difficult to juggle, she finally shook her head. It was too much at one time, when offered something the girl gingerly took a sandwich piece and smells it before taking a bite. As people began to move separating with their “group” leaders, the teen hid behind a pillar to stay out of the way. When it was clear, she stepped back out and looked around.

There was only her and one other left besides the Baron. Looking up at him, the girl ate while running to catch up to him when it was clear she would be working more closely with him than the others. She was unsure how to feel about that, but it was something to do. More importantly he had not turned her away from helping. As they entered his study, her head immediately started to swivel from one direction to another. There were more books in the room than the girl had seen in a long time. Her first instinct was to go grab one and open it, but she thought better of it. Her head turned to look at a man that looked the exact same as Winston. It was strange to see two men who looked exactly like one another.

“Hello sir. My name is Alyssia,” the teen said with a bow of her head when the other man was Mordrid.

She quickly continued following the Baron looking back as the man from earlier was brought in as well. Alyssia turned her attention back to the scrolls on the table and listened carefully to what the Baron was saying. He could talk to the others in their minds? Was it perhaps a type of magic? The teen kept her questions to herself until the baron had finished explaining what he wanted them to do. Carefully looking up at the man for a moment she tried to figure out the best way to ask her questions without insulting him.

“Excuse me sir, I do not mean to pry. But how are you able to talk to them in their minds?” Alyssia asked.

Depending on the answer to her question, the girl went around the desk and looked at each of the scrolls. From what could be seen there was no indication as to which group went to which scroll. Her eyebrows furrowed trying to think of a way to mark them without actually writing on them.

“How do we know which scroll goes to which group? Also does the writing disappear after being read on the scroll or will it stay?” Alyssia asked and looked up at the Baron.

The teen was trying to stay focused on the task at hand, but her eyes kept drifting to the different books around the room. It was clear that she was not used to being around some much knowledge so freely accessible to her.

[Devin]

“You can't know that for sure, Your Grace”, Devin replied as the Baron claimed that what ailed him was untreatable and met his gaze. “Maybe you just haven’t met the right doctor yet. There’s a reason why I was allowed to skip my Letter and my Certificate and why I was admitted into a Diploma program right away”, he informed him in no uncertain terms. He had decided to play the role of the nice and helpful doctor for the time being, but that didn’t mean that he had to be a humble fool that downplayed his achievements. He had actually been allowed to start his studies at the Diploma level!

Besides, realizing what an exceptional doctor he was facing might convince the Baron to change his mind!

“If you still don’t want me to take a look at your leg though”, he continued, glancing at the other man’s cane and worrying that he might hit him with it if he continued to insist (he was quite keen on the reward that he would without a doubt get for treating the Baron’s supposedly untreatable problem, but he was not a fool, and he knew when to stop, most of the time at least). “I will leave you be, of course. It’s an offer, nothing more”, he explained, the tone of his voice softening a bit, smiled lightly and looked at the cane again. It was a really nice cane. Why didn’t he have such a nice cane?!

~~~

By the time that he returned from the brief meeting with Winston (where he had enchanted the mirrors that Luka had given to him), Devin had begun to wonder if the Baron really had children that he would be able to ingratiate himself with. He had said that his family wouldn’t be involved, but he couldn’t see anything that hinted at (preferably good looking) daughters or sons. If worse came to worst, he decided, he could always seduce the Baron himself.

He normally wasn’t interested in anybody above the age of thirty, but sometimes you had to make a sacrifice – unless he could persuade the Baron to make him his heir? No, seducing him would be easier than getting adopted. He was probably quite lonely in that big house of his (provided that he wasn't hiding a spouse somewhere), with only servants to keep him company. There were people that probably rejected him because of his leg, mean, superficial people that couldn’t see past such minor things in order to focus on what was really important – the Baron’s considerable wealth!

~~~

“Winston?” he asked, somewhat confused, and looked at the man that greeted him upon his return. When the man turned out to be Winston’s twin, his eyes widened and he smiled (he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of mischief he’d be able to cause if he had a twin of his own) before he remarked, “Sorry about that. Nice to meet you, Mordrid!”

Having said that, he turned to listen to the Baron. The man could communicate with others telepathically? That was really awesome! He was about to ask him how when he heard someone inquire about exactly the same thing. His head snapped towards Alyssia. He hadn’t paid a lot of attention to her so far, having mostly been focused on how to best seduce the Baron.

On top of wondering about the Baron’s telepathy, he also couldn’t help but wonder if using his ability made the Baron sick (he didn’t say anything though, because talking about vomit and nausea might affect any possible attempts at seducing him negatively). His abilities always made him sick though. He could see the future, but he felt really weird afterwards which sucked. Why couldn’t he have abilities that didn’t have any side effects?

Once the Baron had answered (or not), he briefly turned to Alyssia again. “Are you a doctor as well?” he wanted to know. “You are awfully young for a doctor. Are you some sort of child prodigy?” He couldn’t see any other reason why she was here, apart from her being an unusually young doctor – although the idea of anybody being a child prodigy irritated him – because he hadn’t been one. Why couldn’t he have been one?

Having said that, he cast a glance at the books that filled the room. He normally didn’t care about books, despite being a university student, but the Baron’s collection was quite impressive. “You seem to be quite interested in the Eternal Empire, Your Grace”, he remarked. “I see a lot of maps and books that have something to do with it. Have you ever been there?” he wanted to know before he added, in a tone that sounded apologetic, “Sorry. It’s just that I have an interest in foreign countries myself. I’ve done quite a bit of travelling.”

Walking up to the Baron and proclaiming his supposedly eternal love (that was, of course, non-existent) right away might not have the intended effect; but perhaps they’d be able to bond over their shared interest in geography. Or maybe, he decided as he listened to the man speak, he’d marry him and share his wealth with him because he was so exceptionally helpful and had so many useful abilities!

It would be best to wait a moment before he made his move and tried to seduce him either way! Not too long though because he really wanted this place to become his new home!

“I have something that is probably better and faster than writing on a scroll”, he proclaimed and pulled the mirror that Luka had given to him out. “I have the ability to enchant mirrors and turn them into some sort of communication device. A man in Winston’s group, Luka, has another mirror. The mirrors are linked, and when the codeword Vynmur is spoken, my mirror will show us whatever is in Luka’s mirror. We can actually see what they are doing rather than having to rely on a written message.”

“For that reason, I propose that we’ll use that to communicate with Winston’s group. Additionally, I will take care of the scroll that is linked to Winston’s scroll of course. Which scroll is linked to Winston’s scroll, by the way?” he asked. The scrolls didn’t seem to be labelled. At least he couldn’t see any labels. Furthermore, there was still the matter of the other two scrolls. He looked at Alyssia, at the Baron, and then back at Alyssia and asked, “Do you want to take care of the two other scrolls? I might be pretty busy with treating injured people later on and may not have time to watch two scrolls and my mirror and respond quickly enough”, he explained which was true. He also didn’t want to work more than absolutely necessary though.

Having said that, he looked at the two expectantly. He was rather proud of himself because he had come up with that!

[Pegasus]

120th Ashan, 720

Alyssia had a lot of questions - and they were all clever, sensible ones. The Baron found himself smiling at her with an almost avuncular gaze. "I am blessed by Yvithia," he replied with a smile. Looking at her, he tilted his head slightly and asked, "do you know who that is?" Then, there were her questions on the scrolls and to that, he replied. "I would suggest you work out a system to ensure you do not get confused," it made sense to him and the other query? "Yes. When it disappears, it is read. When you have read what they send, the words you see will disappear, too. You may wish to use the notebooks to make notes, in case things get busy?" he suggested, but whether they took that suggestion or not, he said no more than that.

Previously, he had said to Devin that he appreciated the thought - and that when this was over, yes, the young doctor could certainly examine him. But now, they had a job to do and he hoped that Devin didn't mind that. He'd been friendly, more than just polite, and had seemed genuinely grateful. At Devin's question though, he nodded. "I am," he responded, gesturing to the books on the Eternal Empire. "It's all part of our politics, I think. Maybe." His smile, which was at best slight and rather serious, turned into an almost-grin at Devin's words "I love to travel. They say that Cassion's blood flows in the veins of the Smooglenuffs" he seemed inordinately proud of his lineage for someone whose name was Smooglenuff. Devin's production of the mirrors, though, that brought an exclamation from him. "Oh!! That is an incredibly useful thing! Thank you!"

And it all seemed to be going so well.

Then, they got to see (hear, or have written down) what was happening in the other groups. For Group A, it was a clear report. For Group B, things were not moving past the equipment room because of a conflict and the same for Group C. This posed an issue, and the Baron looked at them both with concern.

"Do you have any help to offer?"

General Info

!

Message from: Peg

"Basecamp" is currently OPEN to you two, and any PC in Group B or C (with the exception of Maxine). Basecamp is now CLOSED to Group A & Maxine. Round 2 is done. Group A has undertaken 2 actions. Groups B and C have not yet begun. Next Round Devin and Alyssia must post here. All other players must post in their group threads. Devin and Alyssia - you may assume that you know what's going on in each group - in the ROUND BEFORE this one. So - in your next post - you may respond to all the posts from my last post up to the post before my post today. PLEASE NOTE: You two may post (individually, or both of you) in EITHER Group B or C but if you are going to do that you MUST tell me within 24 hours from this post being posted. You don't have to POST in that time but you must let me know. If you are going to - your post will come immediately before mine (I'll deal with how) and for that reason Group B and C will be LOCKED until you let me know. If you post in B or C you may also post here. But you MUST post in at least one of those places. If you choose to post in Group B or C - you may choose to take a contingent of NPCs with you, which I'll discuss if you decide to. If you involve yourself in the stalled threads - that has the chance of a major impact on the Baron's reaction to you.

Rules

• !	Message from: Rule 1
  	You may post as many times as you like in this thread. One post only in B or C if you choose to post there. There is no posting order

• !	Message from: Rule 2
  	Alyssia and Devin must post on or before Friday 14th February 2020

• !	Message from: Rule 3
  	Please note:: Failing to post will have IC consequences. If you wish to exit the thread for some reason, then please speak to me in a PM and we'll work it out. However, if you simply stop posting, that will most likely have IC consequences on your pc which you will need to deal with next Cycle.

• !	Message from: Rule 4
  	Also important::No matter what level of risk / reward thread you're in - if you do something along the lines of walking up to an Immortal and yelling at them - you're going to get dead. The risk / reward is assuming a basic level of not-stupid from your pc. Please be aware, I'll adjust as needed.

• !	Message from: Rule 5
  	Play to your skill level. It helps me if, when you use a skill you maybe put an OOC note or such at the bottom to tell me what your skill is. I'll check your CS, no worries, it just takes me longer.

• !	Message from: Rule 6
  	Do not control the NPCs. They are mine.

Mod Style

I will, as usual, post secret objectives, post objectives, secret achievements etc. I've said it before, I'll say it again - this style of moderation was taught to me by one of the most talented storytellers I've ever met. His name was Crimson / Straylor, and I miss writing with him, very much. My thanks go to him.

The NPCs did it, not me.

The point of this is to have fun. Lets do that, shall we?

Specific Intelligence

Nothing this round.

!	Message from: Peg
	There are secrets to discover about this location!

Status

Name	Status	Notes
Alyssia	Green plus	Currently on good terms with all NPCs in this location
Devin	Green plus	Currently on good terms with all NPCs in this location

Obectives

!	Message from: Objectives
	No objectives this round. There are currently TWO hidden objectives in this thread.

Threads

There are currently 4 active threads. We maintain the following statistics:

Thread	Status	Notes
Basecamp	Green	Currently an exit point. You may leave the thread at this point. Devin & Alyssia post here.
Group A	Green	Link
Group B	Stalled	Link
Group C	Stalled	Link

[Alyssia]

Alyssia watched the second man that came in an called Mordrid Winston. Surprisingly enough it wasn’t her first. The urge to yawn caused her crinkle her nose like as though she were going to sneeze. Shaking her head the girl tried to focus on the task at hand. The first would be to decide which scrolls where who and figure out how two people would work three scrolls. Upon the point of the baron answering her question or not, the girl would look over to the new man that had introduced himself as Devin.

A scowl crossed her face for a moment when he asked her about being a doctor. She would assume that by the look of her clothes it was clear the girl had no money to her name. Taking a deep breath, Alyssia focused on what she would be doing with the scrolls. She listened carefully as the Baron answered her questions about the scrolls. Her mind hung up on Yvithia for a moment. Much to her embarrassment the girl did not know anything about the immortals. Perhaps it would be beneficial to see if the man would allow her to read some of the books about them.

“I am very embarrassed to say that I do not know her. Perhaps if there is time to read up on the Immortals I would much appreciate the opportunity,” Alyssia stated and looked at the other man next, [color=5e8a8a]“No I am not a doctor. I simply came because I was curious about the fact that the Baron had called for so many to help.”[/color]

Alyssia nodded happily when the man mentioned them using notebooks to keep records of all their communications in. That would help with making sure there was never a surprise coming towards the manor. Looking at all the books around her, the girl decided not to go digging through them on her own.

“Mordrid, would you mind getting three empty notebooks please?” Alyssia asked before looking over at the Baron once again.

When the news came in from the groups one ready to go. She believed it was the group led by Winston himself. That was no surprise to her since the man had come across as very decisive. Looking over the news that two groups we’re having problems did not bode well for their missions. There was already too much time being wasted. Listening closely to the issues, the teen was shocked to hear that Zach was trying to dismiss one of the members of his group.

“I do not know her exact issue. But perhaps if she can control herself, why not give her the option to move to another group before being forced to leave the missions all together? If the search and rescue team with Chi Chi has not left, perhaps we can see if someone would like to trade places with her. Every person that came is needed for this kind of thing,” Alyssia stated, “Sir, before you leave would you mind asking the leader of group B to write what group they are on the scroll? I would like to come back and mark what scrolls go to what notebooks.”[/color[

Alyssia had asked Devin to give her a hand in figuring out what groups were with which scrolls since he seemed to be going to tend to the other group. The teen stayed behind for a few moments and spoke with the Baron about how to phrase her wording correctly so that she would not come across as “Harsh” or “immature”. There would be no way for the plan to work if no one would take her seriously even the leaders.

“If you have security going to help enforce Zach’s decision for her to leave the group. I would be honored to go as your representative to help deliver the options presented to her. As well as see if there is anything else the team needs,” Alyssia said.


It did not take long before the teen had returned from the group with everything settled on what the woman would do given her options. Blowing hair of her face some, the girl looked over at the Baron once more.

“I believe everything is settled now. Miss Maxine has chosen to join with Chi Chi and help search for others. I am sorry that it has been a rough go already. I truly hope that the rest of the teams will be calmed down and ready to move forward with their missions,” Alyssia stated.