The Eye of Anubis: Book Eight

[NeoTiamat]

Training Room, The Monastery of Stilled Nightmares, Sebua
July 17th, 761, 10:42 AM; Day 122 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"Good show!" he says aloud. "Ever so much more convenient not to have to stand next to people to reach them, isn't it? I suppose there's rather a knack to wrapping the chain so it comes off the arm smoothly?"

"There are certain skills necessary so as not to injur yourself on a poor back-swing, yes." The Venerable Tharivas said coldly, some of that frost returning as he looked at Charles. One had to wonder just what 'injuring yourself' would constitute when one was swinging around a scythe-edged chain at whip-like speeds. Probably brutal maiming. "Most amateurs end up with sufficient broken wrists to dissuade them before they progress that far, though."

"Some of the sailors back home used to use them...usually without the hooks, unless they could find a piece of grappling line that wasn't needed at the time." Tomas explains, applauding a little at the show of skill. "Seeing the crazy things the sailors carried was the closest thing we'd get to seeing the outside world back then."

"To be quite honest, it is a rather extravagant weapon." The Venerable Tharivas flashed Tomas one of his quicksilver smiles, before returning to the normally grim facade. "It is at its best as a dueling weapon, and I am fond of it for the elegance and skill it implies, but I do tend to use a longspear when less humanoid foes are present."

The elf finished winding up the chain around his wrist, the blade and bracer disappearing in the long sleeves of his black robe. As it was, the chain looked almost like an accessory, a wide bracelet of sorts. The Venerable Tharivas gestured to a few targets, several dummies of wood cobbled together and other painted targets. The elf seemed almost mellow as he gestured towards them. "Perhaps you'd care to show your own skills?"

[Sense Motive: DC 20]

The ranged targets reward accuracy. Bullseye is AC 25, next ring out is AC 20, then AC 15, and if you miss an AC 10 you have probably nearly hit Tharivas. Accidentally, of course. You should stand at one range increment from the target, though standing further away makes it more impressive.

The dummies are an AC 10 to hit, but have Hardness 5 and 30 HP. Trick here is to do the most damage in the fewest hits possible.

Of course, if you want to get showy, you can try to hit your own buried dagger/bullet/whatever in a ranged target, which is an AC 30, or you can try to sunder the dummy in one hit, which just requires dealing 38 damage to it in one blow.

Store-Rooms, The Monastery of Stilled Nightmares, Sebua
July 17th, 761, 10:54 AM; Day 122 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"The priest said to come get you," Lia tells Maleagant. "He said ... you should go. I will accompany you. But from now on, none of us, not one of us can be alone anymore in this place."

You could hear a copper drop in the room for a few moments after Lia stopped talking. Michel had gone pale, and Fassahd seemed to have closed his eyes and begun to mutter a prayer for the dead to Anubis. Jervis... well, Jervis never showed much emotion.

"Oh hell..." Samael breathed out slowly, shaking his head as though trying to dispel a particularly noxious dream. "This trip just gets better and better. Alright Lia, lead the way. Rest of you, stay here. Actually... better idea. Remy, Jervis, find the others and tell them to get to the south guest chambers. Rest of you pack up here and meet us there."

The somewhat sickly-looking student followed Jervis, who gave a brief nod as Lia and Samael left. Samael set a brisk pace, though Lia did notice him running his hands up his arms, almost as if he was cold.

"Where's Andre?" Samael asked after a moment, then elaborated. "He'll know the divine procedures well as anyone, I think, for necromancy."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Theroux is with the priest," Lia replies as she stalks along at Maleagant's side, eyes swivelling left and right, up and down constantly, looking for threat. "They are seeking traces of the murderer. Now that I think about it, Marchand-Renier must have remained with them. Maleagant ..."

Lia tugs on Sam's sleeve, urging him to stop for a moment, and looks him in the eye. "Maleagant, we need to circle the wagons, as it were. But I also think we need to warn the monks. That unpleasant elven gentleman seemed to believe you are safe in this place, as long as you do not open your doors at night. If this attack was not specifically aimed at us, then ... well. Whatever is wrong here, whatever is stirring in this place and bringing nightmares into the real world, might be stepping up its attack."

As she starts walking again, Lia adds: "And how do you mean that Theroux would know as much of the necromantic procedure as anyone? And ... Maleagant, who all were in your sleeping area last night?"

[The Whistler]

"There are certain skills necessary so as not to injur yourself on a poor back-swing, yes. Most amateurs end up with sufficient broken wrists to dissuade them before they progress that far, though."

Otto raised an eyebrow at this. Considerable potential for user error, then...maybe best to scrap the idea altogether. Don't want trigger-happy amateurs knocking themselves senseless any more than you can help it--for the sake of your insurance payments, if nothing else.

Hey, don't forget, though--guns can backfire, too. I definitely think you should follow through with this.

...Do you even know what I've been discussing for the past thirty seconds?

No, but I was feeling left out. Sue me.

After a barely perceptible head shake (arcane multiple-personality disorder can easily distract from weapons drill, after all), Otto bows graciously to the elf.

"A time simply to practice is rare of late. Thank you, sir, for your invitation."

The gunsmith strides to the firing line and peers at the nearest target.

'Course, just because you're only practicing doesn't mean you can't show off a little, right?

...Right.

The gunsmith backs up. Considerably.

Right--maximize your range with Donnenschlag, and you'll be well past normal pistol distance; still, it's pretty clear that you have a distance pistol. And unless they're wowed by run-of-the-mill weapon enhancements...well. Skill. Go for skill.

The gunsmith peers at the target.

Does designing your own spatial-distortion-powered targeting system count as skill? Won't work here regardless, unless burlap and straw start growing vital bits for the mechanism to lock onto... Still. Spectators aside, you're shooting at this thing like you would in real life, so use the system like you would in real life: move; get some angles on the thing. Better practice, that way.

...And it's not like the associated light show is going to hurt matters. May as well give 'em a performance...

Otto straightens and draws his pistol--with only a *little* flourish. Cocks it. Clicks his heels. The back of his boot soles flash blue; begin to hum. He lowers the weapon--sights along the barrel--dashes right soles ping and the distance between muzzle and target bends inward. The bullet thuds into the straw an inch from the bulls-eye.

Ten feet to the right of where he previously was--with no particular indication of how he got there--the gunsmith shrugs amiably. "Eh, I take it. The day is young, yes?"

23 on the attack roll (too bad you can't skirmish inanimate objects); 16 on the Sense Motive.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Charles is torn. Terribly, terribly torn.

The Venerable Therivas is potentially a very valuable ally and source of information, and, given that he has apparently chosen this venue to demonstrate his worth to the assorted Expeditioneers, he will probably not much appreciate it if all present do something shocking and rain on his parade by demonstrating their superior acumen on the field of Mars.

Charles glances at Tharivas as he takes in Otto's display of marksmanship and amends that to "certainly will not appreciate it". He lost face in last night's affair--rather, the affair of two nights ago, shocking how these things run together after a while--and it's just no good to cause him to do so again.

Which is tragic, simply tragic, because it would be so amusing to pull out all the stops and dazzle him with displays of marksmanship only reliably achievable by...well, cheating, if arcane aid counts as "cheating", and for Tharivas it probably does. Putting a hole through a falling lunar, for example.

On the other hand, a little trick shooting is unlikely to be so impressive as to cause diplomatic ructions, but sufficiently unusual to redound to Charles' credit.

After polite applause for M'sieur Schultheiss' shooting--he does shoot quite well, although the really impressive thing is his mobility--Charles says, "If I may?"

Moving back to a point just a little closer than Otto's mark, Charles says, "Could you give the signal to shoot, M'selle Sarari? Just the toss of a coin will do, and I'll draw when it strikes."

Nodding, the elf-woman takes a copper--how very frugal of her--from a pouch, glances at Charles, and, seeing he is ready, flips it without further ceremony.

There is a dull thock as the coin strikes the wooden floor, but the second tap as it bounces is obscured by the double roar of Charles' dueling pistols.

Waving away a cloud of smoke, Charles squints at the target. One bullet lies just above Otto's, the other--for a moment Charles fears it has missed the target entirely, but then he sees it has lodged in the outermost framework, a foot and a half from the gold. (Figuratively--they use black for the bull's-eye here.)

Slightly disgruntled, Charles shrugs mentally. Well, if my aim was not to overawe, I think I succeeded. Not all that bad under the conditions, I suppose.

Sense Motive 35, attacks 14 and 22.

[DocBeard]

Tomas is grinning-he thinks he's made a new friend! Regardless, part of him holds back...he knows darn well that the weapon the elf is using isn't designed for just flash. The sailors use rope weapons to trap boarding pirates against the side of the ship, then move in for a quick kill with the sharp end; Tomas reasons that chain weapons have the same practical application, making fighting a better armed and armored opponent a far safer proposition than usual.

But he also figures the elf likes keeping an aura of mystery about him, and playing dumb's never hurt Tomas so far. Shrugging, the Lamordian heads to the back...he knows he can't do that kind of damage without the target being something he can get excited over. A monster? Sure. A wooden dummy? Just doesn't get the electricity flowing. And in the back...

"...gosh!"

[yalenusveler]

"Now... interesting question." Sebastian Marchand-Renier murmurred, stepping into the room to gaze on Professor Pelletier's body. Of all the people involved, he seemed least affected. Then again, he was a Renier. "Was this meant to force us to stay here, to chase us out, or is it someone who was... unfond of the late Professor."

"Sebastien, either Professor Pelletier would have to make enemies with an alacrity that's quite frankly terrifying, or you're insinuating that this was done by someone in the expedition."Andre's tone wasn't quite accusatory..honestly more like the tone of someone who had been thinking much the same thing.

"As for making us stay..unlikely, the beings present here want us gone post haste. But at the same time, Doctor Pelletier would be considered the greatest threat due to his arcane prowess. Remove him first in a gory fashion, and it agitates those of us still here, stirring up our fear. Like adding spice to a meal.." Andre didn't exactly sound comfortable with that bit of theory, but then again it was hard to be comfortable with a headless corpse in the room, at least for most conventional definitions of comfort.

[NeoTiamat]

Training Room, The Monastery of Stilled Nightmares, Sebua
July 17th, 761, 10:53 AM; Day 122 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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Ten feet to the right of where he previously was--with no particular indication of how he got there--the gunsmith shrugs amiably. "Eh, I take it. The day is young, yes?"

"Nevertheless, most impressive." The Venerable Tharivas applauded Otto and Charles lightly, perhaps sardonically, perhaps not. It was difficult to say with him. "And you certainly acquitted yourself well yesterday morning."

"Still, stasis is death." The elf trotted this out with the air of an old homily, though it was a somewhat odd one. "Perhaps we may have a few techniques to teach one another before you depart."

"If asked politely, I may even show you a few tricks of the chain." It wasn't much of a peace offerring, but it was as much of one as you were liable to get from the Venerable Tharivas.

Corridors, The Monastery of Stilled Nightmares, Sebua
July 17th, 761, 10:48 AM; Day 122 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"Maleagant, we need to circle the wagons, as it were. But I also think we need to warn the monks. That unpleasant elven gentleman seemed to believe you are safe in this place, as long as you do not open your doors at night. If this attack was not specifically aimed at us, then ... well. Whatever is wrong here, whatever is stirring in this place and bringing nightmares into the real world, might be stepping up its attack."

Samael met Lia's eyes squarely, his own Mist-grey gaze somber. Samael was the kind of person who would make a flippant comment even while running away from a horde of undead. But he had no jokes right now.

"I know."

As she starts walking again, Lia adds: "And how do you mean that Theroux would know as much of the necromantic procedure as anyone? And ... Maleagant, who all were in your sleeping area last night?"

"Andre's a specialist in these kinds of things." Samael said simply, if not terribly helpfully. As to the second question... "Near as I can tell, we were all in our beds. At least when Kuzan woke me."

The Late Professor Pelletier's Room, The Monastery of Stilled Nightmares, Sebua
July 17th, 761, 10:53 AM; Day 122 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"Sebastien, either Professor Pelletier would have to make enemies with an alacrity that's quite frankly terrifying, or you're insinuating that this was done by someone in the expedition."

"Yes, given all the love and brotherly affection on this Expedition, I really can't imagine why I'd think that." Marchand-Renier said darkly. He ran a hand through his sable-black hair, exhaling tiredly. "Never mind, that was uncalled for."

"We're he---" Samael's voice trailed off as he entered the room, stepping gingerly around the pool of blood on the floor. The Borcan raked his gaze over the body, then leaned back against the wall. "Well, this is going to play merry hell with my records. Anyone care to fill me in on what happened?"

[Kaitou Kage]

Kuzan repeated everything he'd determined earlier about the killing. "He wasn't sitting here when he was killed," the priest concluded, "Whatever killed him set him down there. If you give us enough time, I can probably determine the shape and size of the weapon that was used. A couple hours, maybe." His hands were already moving to his magic satchel.

"Meanwhile," he said, "Nobody is to walk these halls alone, and I mean nobody. Not you, not any of the professors, not even I-skinned-a-bodak-and-I-think-I-liked-it Jervis. Nobody. Three people have died on my watch since we started. One I couldn't do anything for but watch as that madman simply executed her. Another I couldn't help as the madman's minion chewed her to bits. And the third I didn't even know about until it was too late. I don't want to see anyone else gone."

His hands were clenched into fists. When did that happen? He didn't even realize. Slowly, the priest took a deep breath and exhaled. But a chilling thought ran up his spine. He needed to talk to Otto after this examination, especially if his hunch proved right...

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Who or whatever did this somehow managed to get through an Alarm spell," Lia says in a quiet tone of voice. "So either they were allowed entry by the professor himself, or they were ... insubstantial. Even a mouse piercing the barrier of such a spell should set it off and give advance warning."

The Wizard draws a deep breath, then plunges on: "I think we should get either Loup or Small-Star in here, while the blood is still ... fresh. They might be able to sniff out where the head went and thus ... where the killer went. Even if they tried to leave a false trail and incriminate someone here, it will tell us more of who did this and why."

[yalenusveler]

"Lia, if they were capable of getting in here without tripping an alarm and killing Doctor Pelletier, they're almost assuredly capable of getting away without leaving a trail. Of course, this suggests that the Doctor wasn't aware, and was felled anyway" Andre said, trying to step around blood if at all possible as he started into a contained pace.

"Of course, even with his frail health, he was still a skilled magus, and if whatever felled him did so with him being aware of the assault, then well, I hear that G'henna is utterly lovely this time of year, and suggest we all take a diversionary trip there. Very slimming I've heard." Andre said with what was trying to be cheerful nonchalance, but really sounded more like trying to hold down a mild panic as he ran the options over in his mind.

"Decapitation prevents basic magical resurrection, unless we recover the head. It also prevents most forms of undeath, except of course for rather bizzare forms. So we may perchance see his floating head firing arcane death and doom while announcing a hatred of all that lives, we won't be seeing his as a zombie or the like anytime soon." He seemed to shift into lecture mode, finding a comfortable spot. "And there may be outlying spells requiring the severed head of a magus to function, but if so, they're not ones you commonly run across in practical studies of the necromantic art."

"There is also the possibility that this is an illusion, and he has simply been abducted, and this is to discourage pursuit. After all, one doesn't usually mount rescues for the dead. I know you" Andre looked towards Kuzan "Had said that it would take a rather potent illusionist to create a fake body that would confound you, and that our chances against them would be slim. However, with the way natural law is being played fast and loose here, such a thing might not be entirely out of the question. It's an unlikely possibility, but a possibility nonetheless" though with the way Andre said it, it was also a possibility that Cavendish would take a vow of non violence, give to charity, and take up Rokuma flower arranging.

"Now then...Samael, can I speak with you a moment outside?" Andre asked the Borcan, gingerly stepping over a pool of blood to move towards the door.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"We do not know for certain how the killer got in," Lia says, shaking her head, "so it seems ... unwise ... to not try basic methods like calling out the hounds. One never knows what else they might detect that escapes human senses."

[The Whistler]

"If asked politely, I may even show you a few tricks of the chain."

Otto nods amiably. "By all means, sir--it will be an education. Only so long as you are not expecting us to replicate them..."

[NeoTiamat]

The Late Professor Pelletier's Room, The Monastery of Stilled Nightmares, Sebua
July 17th, 761, 10:57 AM; Day 122 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"Now then...Samael, can I speak with you a moment outside?" Andre asked the Borcan, gingerly stepping over a pool of blood to move towards the door.

"If you insist." Samael said, eyebrow raised lightly. Marchand-Renier looked at the two for a long while as they left, though what the linguistics professor had to say on the matter was apparently not worthy of being said aloud.

A few minutes later, they returned.

The Wizard draws a deep breath, then plunges on: "I think we should get either Loup or Small-Star in here, while the blood is still ... fresh. They might be able to sniff out where the head went and thus ... where the killer went. Even if they tried to leave a false trail and incriminate someone here, it will tell us more of who did this and why."

"Hrm... good idea." Samael murmurred, nodding. "Come on Lia, let's get Loup. He's the trained tracking dog around here. Guy should be back somewhere or other."

Training Room, The Monastery of Stilled Nightmares, Sebua
July 17th, 761, 10:57 AM; Day 122 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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Otto nods amiably. "By all means, sir--it will be an education. Only so long as you are not expecting us to replicate them..."

"Of course not." The elf gave Otto a thin-lipped smile. Still, he loosened the chain from his wrist, letting it pool at his feet. "Nevertheless, perhaps you can learn not to hurt yourselves."

[A little present from Tharivas, teaching you how to use this chain without immediately committing suicide: Tomas, Otto, and Charles each get the Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Spiked Chain feat as a bonus feat. Use it in good health.

Training Room, The Monastery of Stilled Nightmares, Sebua
July 17th, 761, 1:03 AM; Day 122 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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The training session, though, did not last much longer than the basics. Tharivas proved to be a patient instructor, if one with about as much charm as a viper. But before he could teach you more than the very simple ways of holding the chain-weapons (of which he seemed to have a half-dozen on hand, though no other monk used them), there was a knock on the training room's door.

It was Jervis, followed by a somewhat pale Remy. The mercenary looked at the various Expedition members with a flat gaze, then spoke. "Back to the room. Samael's orders. There's a problem."

The Late Professor Pelletier's Room, The Monastery of Stilled Nightmares, Sebua
July 17th, 761, 11:04 AM; Day 122 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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By the time Kuzan had finished his autopsy and Samael and Lia had returned with Guy and Loup, a small crowd had gathered in the corridor. Khalil had shown up, and Charles, Otto, and Tomas had somehow found themselves hooked along, though how that happened was an interesting question. And of course, there was Jervis, leaning against the wall and looking vaguely menacing and disgruntled.

"...Sure you're alright?" Samael was asking as he and Lia came with Guy, the cheerful Alsatian padding at their heels.

"I'll be fine." Guy said quietly. "Besides, it's Loup you want, not me."

"You're the tracker." The Borcan shrugged.

"I left Small-Star behind." Guy added when he noticed Khalil. The ex-militiaman leaned down to give Loup a comforting pat on the back. "Figured this place was going to be crazy enough without the two of them tripping over each other, and Loup's trained for this."

Samael took a gentle hint as Guy kneeled beside Pelletier's body and began to talk to Loup softly in Falkovnian. The dog seemed a bit nervous, which was probably understandable given that there was a dead body nearby, and they were in a monastery full of Dreamspawn.

"Don't crowd him." Guy murmurred softly. "And let's see what we find."

Sorry for the brief scenes, but I'm on a time crunch just now. Long story short, all PCs are at the murder scene, as well as MR, Guy, Loup, Samael, and Jervis. Autopsy is completed, and information in Kuzan's possession.

Guy would ask you not to bug him or Loup at the body, but you can dodge in quickly if you'd like to collect some specific evidence from near the body. You can also examine the rest of the room.

I'm going to be away till Sunday night, so I've left all the check-results with Isabella, as well as descriptions of what you can find at the Library and Secret Door, should you choose to wrap up here and proceed to them. I think that covers everything, so I've got to run.

[Kaitou Kage]

"It was a hunting knife," Kuzan proclaimed finally after a grueling, painstakingly thorough examination of the corpse. "Short, stout, about this long and this wide." He held his hands up to demonstrate. Four inches long and an inch wide, his gestures said. "Only one side is sharp and there's a slight curve on the forward of the blade. It's not something I'd expect to see on a claw. If it is a claw, it's a very odd one"

He glanced around. Almost anyone here could've done it if it was just a knife. And gods knew that there were plenty of knives to go around. And plenty more places to hide the killing one.

When you find him, punish him. He deserves no less.

"I have to say again just because some people still seem to think he was taken totally off-guard because something bypassed his alarm." Here, the priest's golden eyes glanced briefly at Lia. "He wasn't killed at his desk. Probably nearby, but he had his front to the attacker when the knife struck, so I'd bet he knew the killer was here. The killer set him there to chop off his head. And remember, that alarm didn't ring loudly when we passed through. So it is entirely possible the attacker walked right in through the door, stabbed him, cut his head off, and walked right back out, alarm or no."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Lia shrugs at this. "Just trying to stay open for the various possibilities, priest," she says, voice calm. "Just trying to stay open for possibilities. At least your thorough analysis puts some of us in the clear. I, for one, am not strong enough to kill a man with one blow, nor to lop off a head. Others among our number can surely also be absolved of suspicion on this basis."