Café de Nuit

"Disappointing," Charles says drily. "You did say he gave you a name? A name admittedly false, but a name nonetheless?"

"Fine, he called himself Marcel, for whatever good that does us!" Khalil snaps back at Charles.

"Cavendish," Lia says. "He is well-capable of disguising himself, as well as befuddling the minds of his victims."

Khalil quiets slightly at this, another memory he didnt want. In a more restrained voice he adds "You know Ive thought about that, time and again, but I dont know, if it was him the disguise and mannerisms were perfect."

Khalils lip curls slightly at Kuzans comments but he says nothing.

[OOC: sorry gotta head off for a while, you can all carry on grilling Khalil later ]

"He has had no trouble so far, disguising himself perfectly," Lia notes calmly. "None of us recognized him in his previous guises in Barovia and Phiraz." She shakes her head. "I am willing to believe you, Desert Born. Let us continue with preparations -- there is something I must say to the whole group, and you have always been trusworthy. I will believe you."

Ishaq comes running from wherever he was when he hears the explosion. GreatSword drawn, he is relieved to see noone is dead. "Is everyone all right? What happened?"

For some reason--even though he was less than ten feet away from Khalil at the time, and you never actually saw him move--all of the thousands of crystal shards seem to miss Otto entirely. Funny, that.

The gunsmith's expression has already shunted from curious (re: gifts) to briskly focused (re: explosion) as Ishaq rushes in.

"Beacon. Tracking. Exploded." (Kneels down to get a closer look at a nearby shard, holds it up to the light) "Question is being: a way to determine the identity of this Marcel based on the nature of the device? If not mere inference, then perhaps some object-based divination?" He looks up at the rest of the group. "This is not my field."

OOC: Reflex 18 + Evasion. Wheee!

"I have a spell," Lia says, slowly. "Nunc hos ques vident, video. Potentia mea canis vigilans est." A ripple of power flows outwards from Lia, briefly encompassing the area around her. "Now if anyone tries to scry," she says, "I will know. And if I am stronger, I will know which way they are. And how far away. But they must scry, first."

(Casting Detect Scrying. Good for 24 hours of protection!)

"I'm willing to chalk it up to Cavendish as well. He's fooled us before." Andre muttered something rather foul in Akiri. It involved Cavendish, and several pounds of Hippopotamus dung. He then looked back at Khalil

"I'll accept that you intended no malice. Just a touch of greed before sense. After everything that's occurred, it should have been mentioned." Andre looked about to go off in a tirade himself, then realized something "Unless of course, he put you under a compulsion not to, though the thought of him able to work such long term magics of control distresses me greatly."

Andre then smiled, and looked to Lia "Now, your revelation you have, now that the time for explosions has passed?"

"I have been informed that there is a 'taint' at the Jackal's Ruse," Lia replies, voice completely unruffled. "Apparently it was sealed before, but now it 'leaks' strongly. It kills mortals. It hurts immortals. I am contractually bound to eradicate it -- the rest of you are not. Should any of you have a desire to help in removing the taint, let it be of your own free will. Those who are not willing should be careful not to become the taint's target. And it seems we shall recognize the taint when we see it."

She glances at Andre and Khalil. "As for Cavendish imposing long-term effects ... A Suggestion or Hypnosis spell could do such, perhaps aided by a Modify Memory enchantment. And if I could think of that, so could Cavendish."

"I'll accept that you intended no malice. Just a touch of greed before sense. After everything that's occurred, it should have been mentioned."

Khalil snorts, "perhaps professor if one were living in the real world, without bursuries, grants, trust funds, wealthy families or a university behind you, one would see the value of taking money where you can get it. Life is hard, harder still for one of my skin in the western lands of yours. I do what I do to survive and I make no apology for it."

Khalil takes a deep breath and looking rather uncomfortably straight at Andre adds "Forgive me Andre that was too harsh, but I was indeed under pain of death not to mention the existance of this thing. However I more than ever want to find the owner of such a device, for he owes me, both in coin and in the flesh form my back, in return I will take apound of flesh of my own."

lostboy wrote:"However I more than ever want to find the owner of such a device, for he owes me, both in coin and in the flesh form my back, in return I will take a pound of flesh of my own."

"An excellent idea," Charles seconds. "We can discuss this at more length later, I think. Certainly all of us have an interest in discovering who this fat and psuedonymous figure of mystery is, if only to learn who else has been shoving his oar into this business." Charles looks momentarily dissatisfied by this singularly inappropriate metaphor, then more displeased yet as another thought crosses his mind. "I suppose I shall have to be grateful to the woman now. Drat the luck."