RP:An Investigation Launched

Part of the Merfolk Tale Arc

Summary: The authorities of Port Rynvale begin the process of piecing together the investigation and response that will be enacted in reaction to a suspicious ferry ‘accident’

Characters: Arien, Rhocielle, Lucia, Npc Rynvale Navy officers.

Location: Rynvale, Port Authority

Rhocielle saw the salvage efforts first hand in Cenril, following another meeting with the feline Awne. All in all, things were amicable if still rather cool at times. Such thoughts were now pushed aside in exchange for the issue at hand. A ferry had been lost and none of those onboard had survived. Something was not right. The rumors of explosions from the ship itself were foreboding. Perhaps it was the work of the same bastards that provoked rumors that Arien was storing explosives on the island. Keeping to himself in a broodful manner, the armored Lycan patrolled his own ferry as it made its way to Rynvale. The harbor was as busy as ever. However, now there were soldiers passing along words of warnings to any arriving and departing ship. In the distance, some ships already patrolled the coasts for anything out of the ordinary. He did not doubt that soon some would possibly escort a few ferries until the populace calmed. Stepping onto the stone docks, he began his route towards the Governor's Mansion to seek his mate. Fortunately, he did not even have to take more then two steps before he spotted her. Amongst the officers of the navy stood the fiery High Elf, voicing her ideas and concerns with how to go about dealing with the incident. Purposefully, the armored Warder lumbered towards the Governess. As befitting his station in public, he dipped his muzzle politely for the intrusion, "Governess. I bring word from Cenril."

Arien:: “How much did we loose in the shipment?” Arien’s melodic tones carried a hint of the concern and frustration she was feeling upon hearing word of the disaster out on the waters. The crates of armor and weapons for her infantry that had been incoming would be sorely missed, and not easily replaced. With the Prek menace still unresolved, despite their apparent current retreat, she had set about to fortify the home guard, and replenish that which had been lost in holding Cenril. The goods had already been paid for- it was more precious gold, down the proverbial drain. And that did not even account for the loss of life also entailed on the ferry. A High Born naval officer of some evident stature replied to the governor, already a patrol had been out to the site of the ‘accident’ “ I believe it would be the entire shipment M’Lady..the vessel was completely sunk, and there was an odd absence of debris in the water. Shall we reassemble the dive team to go in and attempt recovery?” he asked somberly. It would not be easy, the waters in the channel ran deeply and swift. Arien’s rosen lips had fallen open to answer him when the soft greeting of her mate over her shoulder was heard. She turned to face him, her worry in her eyes. “Commander..” she greeted softly, addressing him by his rank as her kinsman, “I was wondering if you had been made aware. How fares the recovery in Cenril?” she questioned. “As if Lucia did not already have enough upon her plate.”

Rhocielle gave his apologetic greetings to the others present. The High Born were slowly becoming accustomed to his presence and rank within the isle. His appearance did make erasing preconceptions any easier, but at least progress was being done. "The crews are working diligently, and is cleared enough for a few of the the ferries to resume their routes..." Albeit, reluctantly. They could not be blamed. The other ferry captains knew McCorely. None believed the rumors. Like all Cenril men, it was not unlikely that he had been taken in the drink, but never so much as to endanger those in his charge. Something had happened aboard the ferry. "I have not met with Lucia or any of Lithrydel's Guards," he admitted with a shrug, "She likely already knows full well of this." Attack. He would not yet admit it, despite the gut sensation. The word was in his eyes, however, and someone so attuned as his mate would sense the worry even without the bond offered by both their hearts and blades. "Will some of the navy be deployed to Cenril to keep an eye on things...?" he asked, turning to the officers present for their opinions. It showed in their eyes as well. They knew something in the bottom of their stomachs, same as when they knew a storm to be brewing on the horizon.

Arien:: The officer turned towards the wolf with a shallow dip of noble head before proceeding with the answer to his question. “That will depend of course, upon the orders of the Admiralty, and the Governor sir..” he said concisely, his sky blue gaze travelling to the fiery headed female at his flank. “I don’t doubt that some arrangement will have to be made with whatever governing faction remains in that city, the ferry service is as much their own operation as ours. They may not wish Rynvalian navy escort.” || Arien had followed along with the conversation, brow knit in her pale forehead. She had not needed to see the concern in her mate’s gaze to know that he suspected an attack of some kind-it only begged the question whom, and why? The city had long settled into some semblance of reluctant order with the passage of time. The transition from a war time to peace time footing had been successfully accomplished-or so it had seemed. Even the return of Leoxander had only served to the ultimate benefit of the populace, the lycan having begun the process of exerting his influence to stabilize the chaos along the Shores that had erupted in his absence. Then who..who? And had the attacker –known- of the shipment aboard the vessel? Was it an attack targeted at the city, or a random act of mayhem? She needed answers, and intended to get them. For now, she turned her eyes towards the wolf. “ Perhaps, one vessel from our fleet can act as escort for the time being..though, unless it was a ship launched cannon, the nature of her sinking suggests that someone was able to plant explosives aboard. It may be more effective to have Lucia post some of her knights aboard the vessel for routine patrol and monitoring,” she suggested, almost thinking aloud. Turning back to the officer, she completed the order she had been intending to deliver on the wolf’s arrival. “Reassemble the salvage team..if there is any chance to save some of what went down, we must attempt to do so.” She said firmly. The naval officer would only bow quietly, to them both, before turning to order his men to their newly assigned responsibility and departing in their wake. A few moments of silence would pass before a wry smile curved Arien’s lips. “Speak, wolf..I can see the cogs turning in your head already..” It was one of the things she loved about him.

Rhocielle nodded in farewell to the departing officers. He did not know much of the current standings between the two port cities or the jurisdiction of the sea between. It was not his concern anyways. When at last the pair were relatively alone, a quick motion of his muzzle directed the High Elf to walk alongside him on the pier. "...someone did it, elf," he commented huskily, "...the captain might have been a drunkard, from what the other ferry captains had said, but none of them believed him to be by any means stupid." Snorting softly, his grey eyes scanned the present ships in the harbor. Both brows furrowed slowly. "Who knew of the cargo?" he asked. Even he had not known of the supplies being carried on the ferry. In hindsight, such things would have been better left for the actual trading vessels, not a passenger ferry.

Lucia resolved into existence quite abruptly, and without any real warning save for a momentary flash of white light. The Rynvalian Sheriff took one good look at herself, saw that everything was intact, and turned to find herself immediately in the presence of Lady Arien and Rhocielle. Interesting timing, she had. Perhaps it was some sort of... divine intervention that kept her always appearing in the right palce at the right time. Whatever the reasoning... she uprighted herself fully and cleared her throat in such a way as to announce her presence.

Arien frowned at the question, quietly thoughtful. “I assume the ranking officers of the infantry would have known that they were coming, and the dock workers who actually loaded the inventory” she mused. “The captain himself as well, would almost have certainly known that the crates were aboard,” she added. “If he had been drinking, as was rumored, he may well have said anything within the hearing of any of those who frequent such places. Do we even know which bar he frequented? If he was based in Cenril, it would likely be the Whaler, would it not? Perhaps if we sent a man there who would not stand out..to ask a few questions given the current circumstances, we could find out who, if anyone was seen with him that eve.. It would be a place to start..” she finished, her mind turning over prospects in her mind. Getting a hold of her sherriff, and the connections of her Cenrilian kinsmen would become ever more important. Almost as if summoned, the flash of light that ensued would bring the strolling pair to a halt, Arien’s fingers falling instinctively to her blade. Emerald gaze would blink twice, as if to assure herself that she was not seeing things, and then a soft greeting would spill forth. “Lucia..your arrival could not have been better timed, commander. We seem to be in considerable need of your multiple services at the moment.”

Rhocielle grunted softly, but begrudgingly nodded. It was not that far off that he would not have known about the shipment. Afterall, he was the commander of the Fold, not of the Rynvale forces. "Something to ask Lucia about. Likely she'll know someone that would be willing to be eyes and ears in finding out what happened..." He knew the Whaler's Bar, and there was always something to be overheard. "Hrmph, stupid if he had mentioned someting to his drinking companions..." He narrowed his eyes at the sudden chaotic flash of white light, habit bringing him to step in front of Arien faintly with his paw at his hilt. Relaxing as the Lady Knight materialized into view he lowerd his arm back to his side. "Lady Lucia," the wolf said with a formal bow towards her. Glancing to Arien, he spoke softly, "Hrm, I will leave you to your discussion, Governess. I will see what I can find out from the dock master..." A farewell dip to Lucia was given, followed by something silently spoken to Arien, the armored wolf continued along the docks.

Lucia gave Rhocielle a pleasant bow in parting, then turned her full attention towards Lady Arien... and the maters at hand. No sooner had she parted her lips to speak, than did a courier from her compound here in Rynvale rush up with a letter in hand. The sheriff took this letter with a polite smile, then sighed out loud and looked down at the thing with a slight chortle of laughter. "I take it... that this was likely the letter to summon me here?" Without waiting for an answer, she quickly broke open the seal and read over the short contents quickly. Once she was 'up to date' on the precise nature of what Arien was going to need of her... the Knight General tucked the summons away into her dress and tried, once more, to give her greetings. "Lady Arien, ma'am... a pleasure to see you as always. I was just coming by to check up on the state of things... and lo! More trouble! It seems I certainly did not pick an 'easy' line of work for myself! So... fill me in on all the details you can... and I'll get straight to work."

Arien’s eyes trailed the departure of her mate with some lingering softness within. Only when he was out of view did the female turn her attention to the sherrif of her port city. “Ahh Lucia..” she began with a murmur and a smile. “That would indeed be the missive I had requested to be delivered to your person- I had thought you yet in Cenril” she added, falling into step beside the female. “The letter explains it..we have had a ferry destroyed in extremely suspicious circumstances, and intend to put all of our branches of the law on the highest levels of alert for the foreseeable future,” she murmured. “If you can spare them, I believe it would be a useful investment to assign some of your officers to daily patrol and inspection of the ferries that continue their services? I shall likely supply an escort from the fleet for the same.” She glanced at the woman as she strolled. “Our leads are few at present, and unfortunately seem to lead out of our immediate jurisdiction for the moment. It seems we must follow our noses to Cenril for the first clues,” she said quietly. “I know of your interests there, and wished you to be aware that we might be operating covertly in the area for a little while. I would share more..but I intend to put that responsibility upon another..and you know what they say about too many cooks.” She smiled suddenly. “A sudden influx of strangers asking the wrong sorts of questions, would be the fastest way to leave a trail cold.”

Lucia paused mid-stride and crossed her arms over her chest, giving Arien something of a knowing look. "M'lady... certainly you cannot mean to say you do not trust me with such information? My position, such as it is, qualifies me uniquely for such a situation. I have eyes and ears in almost every major city... Cenril most of all, as it is my home. If there are to be operations there, I would think that the least you can do is let me be privy to them. You do not expect I would interfere with such a course of events, do you? After all our time working together? If I am to do my job with any semblence of efficacy... I will need to be kept abreast of every development. This matter involves more than just Rynvale, ma'am... it is an international incident. Regardless of the contents of this ferry's cargo... it is registered to a Captain who is local to Cenril. That means that the Cenrilian authorities will need to be involved. Would you have those authorities be myself... a woman who is reasonable and trustworthy... or someone appointed by the Merchant's Council? After all the ruin they have cast Cenril into... would you trust -them- not to muck up your investigation?"

Arien paused in her stride having reached the end of the docks. Her eyes turned lifted to the sea as she thought through her options. Leo was not the kind to work with a legal shadow.. unless it was one currently authorized who might be expected to have been involved anyway. Already the first reports from the scene had been filtered to her by the officers who had been first on the scene-that information would have been passed to Lucia anyway, as a figure of Cenrilian authority, eventually. She glanced at the woman. “I am more than aware that your clan have been the city’s defenders Lucia, as I am of the incompetency of what remains..It is in part our greatest struggle, trying to cooperate with a city that has no functioning government. I have no problem keeping you informed of developments as they occur-but I must, for reasons that are not my own to tell, insist that you allow my operative to work as an unknown to you. Who he or she is, has no bearing whatsoever on the details that he or she uncovers..details, of course, that I shall gladly pass on to aid you in your own handling of the case.” Her hands fell behind her back, “I do, of course, hope that you are able to use the intelligence we gather to determine on the most effective course of action regarding Cenril’s response. And of course, if you choose as a knight of Order to investigate the situation with your own means, that will not fall to my accountability.” A smile curved her lips. “It is convenient, no? To wear many hats. Rynvale asks of you only that Sherriff’s deputies be placed upon the ferries, and as an ally, that Cenril use what means it has at his disposal to aid us in securing further travel between the two ports..”

Lucia stroked her chin for a moment, then bowed her head in agreement. "Aye... those are agreeable terms. Your agent need not be identified... for it would doubtlessly hamper his methods. I, myself, have done such work... and I know all-too-well the risks that it carries." Chuckling gently, the knight turned to face the open sea... staring out over the still waters for a moment or two longer. In the end, she replied with: "I will assign all public ferries departing from Cenril an escort of five Knights from the Cenril Chapterhouse. Upon arrival here in Rynvale, those knights will be replaced with a compliment of five from our own stock here on the Island. The port being used in Cenril will also need to be improved... both for safety -and- security. I will have that moved up to High Priority... as without the ferries, a great deal of commerce between Cenril and Rynvale would be entirely lost." Lucia nodded again, satisfied with her own decision, and turned to give Arien an appraising glance. "The Knights here in Rynvale will also be informed of the situation. However, rather than having them investigate the matter... I think I will begin preparations for the creation of a trap. The specifics... of course... have yet to be determined. All the same... I will make sure you are informed when the time comes. Does this all sound satisfactory?"

Arien’s lips curved in half a smile, a barely noticeable tension relaxing from her shoulders as she took in a quiet breath. She had been worried that the commander would fight her on the matter, and it really was not open to negotiation. “Very well..it is satisfactory indeed. Do what you must in the capacity of our own representative of the law to secure our interests- but as you have stated, do let me know in a timely manner when and how you intend to act. There are some players involved..who might unwittingly be caught in your trap unjustly..if I am not so informed,” she said quietly. It was as close to an admission that she was partnered with some who might possibly be hurt by Lucia’s operations. Hopefully it would be enough to ensure her co-operation. “Now, if that will be all, I fear I must see the vice admiral about commissioning that escort from the fleet.” she said. Already she was straightening, her body positioning itself for their eventual parting.

Lucia , too, had a great deal of things which would need to be set into motion if this matter was to be resolved quickly. Not to mention the fact that she had left Frostmaw so abruptly by means of teleportation... that she would yet need to return in order to meet with this Ice-Maiden woman later. All things considered, the Knight General found her plate quite rapidly filling. Best of all... she felt entirely capable of handling it. Work was truly her element... and the more of it she had to do... the less time she had to worry about anything else. As if an afterthought, Lucia shook herself free of her internal workings and looked up to give Arien a polite bow. "As you say, ma'am... I will get straight to work on getting things in order, security wise. As for this trap I've in mind... we will see how practical it proves to be in real-world measures. I am certain, however, that you will be quite pleased with the results... no matter -how- we ultimately design the thing. I should probably get to it right away, though... several of the men and women I have need of were granted leave. I will need to convince them that I have something which is -right- up their alley, if I don't want to be stuck waiting a week to get to work!"

Restless to be on her way, the governor would only nod and smile, offering a comment tossed over her shoulder as she retreated towards the buildings of the admiralty. “I am sure that you are more than capable of doing so Commander. Good night..” And she disappeared indoors without another word.