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Post by Katerina on Mar 13, 2021 10:02:16 GMT
Kat will fill the Goddess Eivor in on what she saw in the mirrors on their return in the carriage. It seems to her that his skillset is entirely in high compelling of the mind and not in shifting his form as she initially expected. It would have made more sense for him to have replaced one of the family if his talent was in changing his face, but his tactic of brutal insertion into the family seems to have been a less effective way of doing the same thing.
The question was, who the man really was and what was he up to?
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Post by Eivor on Mar 13, 2021 16:56:04 GMT
"There are many questions," Eivor agrees, "and while I'm happy for my aunt and uncle to poke over what he has left behind, I don't think this is something we can just walk away from. Did he have any local help? Why choose Deiga? I think staying here a little longer might give us some more clues."
She is also rather hoping that the minister might have a few more thoughts to share, but she reminded herself that he needed time to recover, and not to push too hard.
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Post by Admin on Mar 14, 2021 5:08:12 GMT
#s://i~ibb~co/FbPCSJm/Hakker~jpg Their carriage returns to the city in the gloaming. During the brief stops along the way there were rumours of troubles in the city, of unrest and lost fortunes among those who play the game of commerce. At the mansion they are told that Hakker and Humphry have gone to Kast Palace for an emergency meeting of the ministers and lords. Crossing the city they pass through the town square where lanterns light the frantic, rabid chatter of shares and cargoes, futures and insurance policies being traded. The lobby of the palace is filled with petitioners hoping to speak with the powerful lords of this land. Kat and Eivor overhear portions of the discussions about them as they pass through the crowd, talk of the lords having their minds changed or confused by some villain and the spread of this rumour has resulted in a mass sell-off of goods and severe damage to the Deigan economy. An attendant leads them into the Council Chamber, a grand amphitheatre that holds three score of people but is now filled with about forty of the lords and ministers in small groups arguing and waving fists in the air while a woman at a podium hammers a gavel on the wood ineffectually trying to restore order to the assembly. Hakker sees Kat and Eivor and waves them over. "My friends, thank the Unicorn and the gods of exchange, you have returned! I had to tell the lords what you discovered about me. Supposed to be a secret only for our assembly but word quickly spread and now everything is falling apart!"
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Post by Katerina on Mar 14, 2021 11:37:59 GMT
[OOC - There's Brian in the middle of the paragraph. I assume that is Kat and Eivor]
You tell a few people, tell them that its a secret and it makes them more likely to tell as it has some value as information then. Kat is really not surprised, but wonders why news of the minister's mind being brainjacked is causing such an issue with trade. Do they think that the Gods would now be invading as revenge? Still the fact that word has spread means that Coy's identity here is completely shot through and can't be easily re-established.
Kat waits and allows the Goddess to speak first. It would be out of place for a 'servant' to do so. Instead she concerntrates on exactly what the panic is amongst the other nobles. What about Coy's meddling has caused such distress?
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Post by Admin on Mar 14, 2021 17:42:34 GMT
[OOC: Yes, late night cut and paste error!]
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Post by Eivor on Mar 14, 2021 19:51:06 GMT
"Ye gods, rumour will be the death of us," Eivor says, before adding a curse or two in Northlander. "There's worse, minister. Since your immediate presence is not required, can we talk more privately? I'd hate to add more fuel to the current firestorm."
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Post by Admin on Mar 15, 2021 5:23:57 GMT
From what Kat can overhear, the people have many issues with the knowledge of Coy's mental meddling: they all had dealings with the man and now can not trust their memories and thoughts; they do not know what laws, treaties and agreements made by the government have been influenced by his actions; much of their personal trade contracts and agreements might now be considered fraudulent; other nations and lands can not trust the Deigan government.
"We all could be time bombs!" one of them says, "At any time something could be triggered in our minds and who knows what we would do!"
To Eivor, the minister tells her that there has been a continuous barrage of questions since he told the assembly his news, but since they are all so distracted in the debate, he may have a minute or two to spare. He leads them through a side door to a small sitting room.
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Post by Eivor on Mar 15, 2021 9:29:29 GMT
Once they are in the sitting room and Eivor can be sure they are not overhead, she tells the minister the bad news.
"The Delambres are missing, presumed dead. All their household staff have been slain," she tells him. "Princess Fiona is there now investigating some arcane writings that Coy or his associates left behind. The place is a mess and there may be lingering traps, so I suggest you post guards to keep people off the estate."
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Post by Katerina on Mar 15, 2021 14:08:12 GMT
Kat has little to add to that, but she watches the Minister's reaction carefully. She wonders if he is expecting this news, or whether it comes as a shock to him. Then a thought occurs to her.
"Have you posted a reward for the capture of Coy? Its not as though there aren't enough people who've seen him and can give a good description of the man. Although he has power, he might think twice about toying with Deiga again if every other person was after the bounty on his head."
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Post by Admin on Mar 16, 2021 4:24:02 GMT
"Princess Fiona is here in Deiga!?" Hakker says nervously, "She may be in great danger! The people are already in ferment over your revelations about Coy and it won't be long before a mob decides to march on the Delambre's estate and sack it."
To Kat he says: "A bounty is a good idea; the only thing my countrymen can be motivated with is the pursuit of money. But that can wait a few days, for now the mobs will gladly lynch Coy if they cross his path."
Eivor begins to feel the mental pressure of a trump contact.
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Post by Eivor on Mar 16, 2021 14:55:41 GMT
Against her better judgement, Eivor accepts the call.
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Post by Katerina on Mar 16, 2021 18:37:00 GMT
"Why wait then? Although lynching him for what he has done might have a certain retribution about it, when he is dead we won't get any useful information from him. A reward for him to be brought in alive will possibly yield the other conspirators in all this." Kat replies.
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Post by Admin on Mar 17, 2021 5:33:50 GMT
#s://i~ibb~co/FbPCSJm/Hakker~jpg Kat:"With passions running high and tempers short, I would expect Coy not to survive being captured today no matter what reward was offered. For now, most people do not know what he looks like, but a picture would have to be released with the offered bounty, which would imperil his life. And, it would take time to get the wanted posters prepared and printed."Through the room's door, Kat and Hakker hear someone yell that fires have been set in the city and down at the docks. "The situation grows worse! I must return to the council chamber," Hakker says, then rushes from the room.
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Post by Admin on Mar 17, 2021 5:46:44 GMT
#s://i~ibb~co/j5FLskF/Florimel~jpg Eivor:An image forms in Eivor's mind of her aunt Flora. She looks pleased with herself, dressed in her most queenly clothes and sitting on the throne in Amber with the royal sceptre in her hand. "Eivor, my dear," she says, "A little update for you: Benedict has gone off on a mission of some sort that he wouldn't tell anyone the details of. He has left me in charge of things here - for good, it seems. It just goes to show that you always need to keep your nose clean and be in the right place at the right time.
"Keep up the good work in Deiga and report your progress to me rather than Benedict."As she is speaking, an attendant just outside of Eivor's view is hold up a large book to her with only his hands and the back of the book visible through the connection. Flora is either shaking her head 'no' or making a more 'maybe' gesture with each turn of the page.
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Post by Katerina on Mar 17, 2021 9:49:23 GMT
Kat shakes her head at Hakker's lack of co-operation, although she understands that getting posters up will take time. Not that she thinks it will matter. The man has probably gone elsewhere. There seemed to be little point of him staying around here after burning his bridges. She wonders if the man, or the family he intergrated himself into had any official residence here in the city. Perhaps there might be things here that Coy left before he went on his mission to Amber?
With Hakker gone, Katerina snags a passing functionary and asks him whether the Delambre family had any house or rooms here in the Capital.
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