RP:Following Bead Crumbs

Part of the Wholehearted Wanderers Arc

Part of the Once Upon a Midnight Dreary Arc

Summary: Urged together under the direction of Kanna and her efforts to rebuild the Bard's Guild, a long postponed meeting between the former Countess Blackwell and Lord Lefty takes place where they discuss the whereabouts of a magical bead of interest to both necromancers and bards alike. Both hailing from Vailkrin, they cannot help but to discuss a bit of politics as they hash out a plan to retrieve Lefty's lost object.

Meeting Room

Centered in the narrow well lit room before you sits a large, rounded oak table, its darkened wood intricately carved, matching that of the walls and woodwork of the numerous cushioned chairs tucked neatly beneath it. Five chandeliers burn refulgently, suspended sturdily from the low ceiling. In each of the four corners, tall potted plants seem to thrive, stretching forth their limbs in search of light. A small desk to your right holds many stacks of blank paper and several inkwells and quills. Tidy and plain, no windows for distraction, you can only guess that a lot of important people spend many long hours here, tending to the business of Kelay. The only exit is to your north.

Lefty is possessing the avian today, due to certain internal politics and rehabilitary reasons. Were Pigeon looks up, impeccably dressed as always, but not wearing the usual eyepatch. For this outing, the master needs to see for himself. The avian's left eyesocket is scorched and covered with second and third degree burns, and sitting inside is Lefty himself. "So glad you could join us, Mademoiselle Blackwell. Your reputation precedes you, and I hope for this to be a mutually beneficial arrangement. I hear you have a lead on the necklace?"

Quintessa comes carrying a small tome of loose papers bound together with a leather cord- something she had to do on the fly now that her workshop was out of commission. She still manages to dress nicely for an exile, wearing fine spider silk robes of black and silver that flows around her like water. Mismatched eyes of sapphire and gold examine the avian puppet carefully as he addresses her, her expression devoid of emotion for now. She had heard rumors of the one called ‘Lefty’ but they had only been rumors until today. So far Quintessa did not know what to think of them. “Of course,” The changeling moves forward to join him at the table, setting down her makeshift tome before finding a seat. “I have a wealth of free time, as of late, I do not mind spending a little on this endeavor.” Finally her lips crack into a slight smile. “Oh yes, mutually beneficial. My interest in the object is purely academic but the Bard’s Guild does seem very interested in tracking it down regardless…” She begins to idly flip through the pages of her notes, searching for something specific, likely the details of her lead. “Before we get into what I’ve discovered though I must ask what your interest in it is.” She stops on a page, reading over the notes as she continues. “It belonged to you mentor, you said? Are you attempting to wield this magic bead or is this a matter of… Sentimentality? I ask because this is a very dangerous artifact to leave in the wrong hands, as I’m sure you already know.”

Lefty said, "I am intimately aware of the danger," says the avian man relaying his master's words. "As for my interest. I've made certain promises to my nihilistic servants. Having this particular artifact will expedite that timeline, assuming of course I can subdue the item." The avian gives a small smirk at being referred to as 'nihilistic'. Soon, he'd feel the sweet embrace of death. "In short, I'd prefer to speak for myself, as opposed to through proxies."

Quintessa raises an eyebrow at the mention of nihilistic servants, an amused smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Of course, having that kind of autonomy is important. Well, assuming the item can be subdued then I see no reason why we can’t help you find it for this purpose, I…” she trails off, flipping a page and reading through it before continuing. “I have noticed a lot of deaths caused by people trying to wield it, however. Likely the thieves and opportunists that picked it up- people with no business wielding it, and then there’s nothing for a while. Nothing public or anything. I’ve poked through some of the known fences and highwaymen but they don’t know anything about it…” She flips another page, “Curiously there have been people going missing every once in a while… Mass graves discovered, dead bodies with blood seeping from their ears and eyes… If my hunch is right *someone* is out there using it, experimenting with it, but they are being careful to avoid detection.” Mismatched eyes flicker up from her notes to gaze at the lonely eye in the avian’s head. “But you mentioned a way of tracking it down didn’t you? Tuning forks, soft wax, gold wire, and a bezel roller… If someone is out there using the bead then these objects are the key to locating it, I assume?”

Lefty folds the avian's hands, interlacing the fingers. "Autonomy for me, and less pain for them. I believe I can subdue the bead, since I witnessed the item's creation. My Lady was powerful, but no one ever called her wise. Control was beyond her abilities, due to the bardic elements. I believe, since my necromantic abilities are based on a physical connection, that I can succeed where she failed. Brute forcing compliance, as it were." The avian tries to raise a skeptical eyebrow but is prevented by the eyeball's iron control. A wisp of smoke and darkening of blisters on his eyelid are the only indication of conflict. "From what I gather, most mages, necromantic and otherwise rely on an arcane tethers to establish connection. I choose to eliminate that step by integrating with the body I control." Lefty flickers inside the socket, contemplating how to best organize his explanation. "The wire and bezel roller are for emergency restraints in a worst case scenario. The wax for ear protection, since the volume and concussive sound waves can cause, as you surmised, blood seeping from eyes and ears. The tuning forks will activate it, once we get close enough. It will be loud, on both the physical and necromantic planes."

Quintessa presses her lips together in thought, considering the words that flowed from the avian’s mouth. “Yes, yes, I can tell you are appropriately acquainted with the artifact enough to have a good chance of controlling it. This is good. I’ll have my people gather the supplies we need as well as any of my own counters I can think of. I’m not keen on getting my ears ruptured trying to reclaim it.” The gears are already turning in her head of ways of inventing a magical sound dampener for this mission. These thoughts are interrupted by another errant thought, one she can’t help but vocalize. “Your Lady, who was she? Is that where you- y’know?” She points at her own eye in a repeating motion, apparently asking if he was his Lady’s eye. She can’t help but let an embarrassed laugh escape after she asks, “Sorry if the question is intrusive. It’s not like me to know so little about someone so… unique.”

Lefty chuckles at the intrusive question. "I believe I mentioned that she was not wise. A lycanthrope ripped out her eye at some point. I was the replacement, but much like the pendant, animating the dead is no guarantee of control. The amount of energy she used to control me allowed me to gain sentience. I suppose I'm a practical example of what happens when a necromancer overreaches." The avian straightens his clothes absently. Untidiness is an affront to decorum. "On an unrelated note, I would suggest dispelling any undead showing signs of uncontrolled hunger. Just as a precaution."

Quintessa inhales slowly, nodding her head and she closes her book and folds her hands together. “Lycanthropes.” She says with a tone of disapproval, shaking her head slightly at the explanation. “I have done my fair share of overreaching. Nearly three hundred of my own undead recently broke free of my control and now presumably still roam the Dark Forest. I had hoped I would be given a chance to dispel them properly but…” She shrugs. “The Usurper ordered me to leave. If any of my old undead are going around with unnatural signs of hunger then you can blame House Azakhaer for it.”

Lefty nods as Ms. Blackwell references the recent unpleasantness. "I see. This Usurper, you say? You of course are referring to the Kensai, Kasyr? Due to my connection to The Lady, he has asked me to sort out the undead you are referring to." The avian reaches a hand up to touch his new burns, but thinks better of it and puts it back on the table. "I've been meaning to ask you about what happened. I sent you a note a while ago, but we never scheduled a meet, and then Lord Azakhaer went. . .well, he did what he always does. Terribly rude individual. I've never liked him." There's a small jerk, as Lefty 'whispers' something to his host. "For legal purposes, the host takes full responsibility for the last sentence. Lord Lefty claims no responsibility for the sentiment expressed, despite it's accuracy."

Quintessa || The casual levity that existed in the atmosphere quickly evaporates as she thinks more about Kasyr. Now Quintessa seems to frown a bit as she parts her lips to continue. “Forgive me for never reaching back out before I… “ She shakes her head, not wanting to insult Lefty with an excuse, “It doesn’t matter, we are speaking together now.” Quintessa’s gaze drifts away as she reminisces about her former lover. “Kasyr and I were once allies. After the end of the Dragana Uprising I needed the help of other houses to keep the peace in Vailkrin. Together with House Mahara and House Azakhaer we created the Vailkrin Triple Alliance to keep anyone from gaining too much power… but he was always an oathbreaker from day one. Unbeknownst to me he schemed to take the crown for himself, he admitted to much the day he exiled me. He promised that we would rebuild Vailkrin together as equals and the coals hadn’t even gone cold before he declared himself King. A selfish, opportunistic power-grab that went in direct opposition to the Triple Alliance. An oathbreaker and an alliance breaker. And when I did the right thing and called him out he punished me- proved himself a tyrant by striping me of my titles and casting me out.” There is a fire in Quintessa’s eyes as she speaks about it, clearly embittered by it. “And when I return I will bring fire and blood to reclaim what is mine.” She takes a breath to calm herself, “Was there anything else you wanted to know?”

Lefty said, "That covers most of my questions, save one: will you support my bid for undead welfare?" The avian bites his lip to stifle a grin at the absurd request. "I know you're exiled and Kensai Azakhaer asked me to take the helm as undead representative, but when you fire and blood your way back, I'd prefer you kept the pure undead out of vampire affairs. But, we've digressed. Back to the task at hand. We were discussing how best to track down the item. It's been called many things since it's inception: a voice unspoken, a scream unuttered, a poem untold, a song unsung, and, as you put it, a magic bead. It's been strung on necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and taken back off. Following the blood seems to be a good start."

Quintessa manages a smile despite her intense feelings about the situation in Vailkrin. “Of course. My aim is to break the cycle of vampire supremacy in Vailkrin and replace it with a more egalitarian system, one out from under the heel of vampiric tyranny. I have always advocated for undead representation and should they not side with the False King Kasyr in the coming war I shall see no harm brought to them, you have my word.” Quintessa allows the conversation to shift back to why they were here in the first place, her posture relaxing slightly as she reaches inside of her cloak for a cigarette. “Yes, the artifact. The Bead of Silence-Shattering, is what I’ve been calling it, but that’s rather immaterial. If we follow the trail of blood, however…” She trails off, reopening the book under her hands as she places the cigarette between her lips. “A farmer in the barrows discovered a small cache of bodies all with bloody ears on the edge of his property in a shallow, mass grave. He said he might not have even discovered them had the recent drought not forced him to till unused areas… Well, I followed up and it turns out most of these people were reported missing traveling around the border of the Sage Forest and the Queendom of Enchantment. Seems like that would be the best place to look first.”

Lefty scratches his chin thoughtfully, barely holding back a grimace. "I see. I've neglected the area in my search. That definitely explains my lack of success. The area around Enchantment would be ideal for experimentation. The miasma of expended energies would mask any mistakes. I agree with your conclusion. Starting there would definitely be most sensible." The avian withdraws a flask and pours some into his hand. He smears a small amount under Lord Lefty's perch. "Aloe. It doesn't really help in the long run, but it soothes in the moment."

Quintessa smiles as she closes her book again, nodding along with Lefty’s other assessments of the suspected location of the object. “I hadn’t considered that yet but that makes sense. I’m sure that’s precisely why they took it there.” Quintessa watches Lefty apply some ointment in silence, offering a nod to indicate she understood the plant. “Ah, aloe vera. A humble plant but very useful. I hear desert hags still use it in their panaceas even though they know it isn’t magic…” She finally lights the cigarette in her mouth with a snap of her fingers, a tiny green flame appearing for a second to release the scent of clove and lavender that was held within. “Well, shall I make the arrangements? It should only take a few days for me to report back to Kanna and prepare a small expedition into the borderlands.”

Lefty nods slowly. "Yes, if you would. I'll leave the arrangements to you and the Bards." The aloe under the eye begins to steam and evaporate as Lefty thinks. "Let me know if I can help. I believe a concerted effort between bardic and necromantic forces would be most advisable. Undead bardic energies are a novelty, but not beyond reason."