Mysteries of the Floating Islands

[MadameButterflyKnife]

"If you are curious, I did investigate the cellar while you were all distracted. Appears to have been 6 people in at the time, and the house came down rapidly while they were there, likely sitting."

[Florien]

"way she rants" "not complaining." And then you've got this weird anti-intellectual streak. You argue like a monarchist, Mordecai, and I'll have none of it.

And yes, I am, apparently, the smartest one here, because everyone else immediately started doing crimes for no discernable reason! The smartest among you is Hadil, because at least she waited for the guards to be distracted before trying to DO a crime. Anyway, yes, Hadil. Good work finding a little out, though how quickly that collapse would have to happen to take out six at once implies... you know, it implies the dragon didn't do this, not alone at least. Dragons in my experience, especially the more-fire-using ones, they tend to sweep in, burn, sweep back, burn again, land to suppress the largest escaping group, loot or extract tribute, and leave. To cave in a building like this suddenly, it would take a pretty strong hit. Obviously, my suspicions here are probably unfounded... but nonetheless. I would like to talk to this dragon.

She pronounces "dragon" a little strangely. In fact, she pronounces all hard "g"s a little strangely. They seem closer to "k"s.

[Mr. Lee Hammer]

What are you going to do to stop me, talk me to death? You're doing a good job of it so far, maybe you'll get your wish. But anyway, you do bring up an interesting theory though. I do wonder what we're dealing with dragon-wise.

[GoldenCityBird]

@MadameButterflyKnife: You rolled a 2 on your medical roll.

You can't really see a way to, without proper equipment, treat anyone's injuries. Best to leave them alone before they get hurt.

The two other guards prop up their sargeant in the meantime, listening in to everyone's questions. They even hear Avanyiss's deduction.

One of the officers snaps his fingers (impressive for someone wearing gauntlets). "That's something other smart citizens have been asking about. Some say that, since this farm has royal connections, and high-profile "Missing Person" posters are going missing, that this whole thing was a way to get rid of powerful dissidents. King Edward says it's a load of crap. I'm not allowed to promote the theory, which I'm not doing, and I certainly can't let outsiders rummage around while taking my commanding Sargeant and the other officer back to the city."

He loads the sargeant onto the back of a wagon, before riding off with his other officer.

[Florien]

Got it. See you, all the guards! We definitely will move right along and investigate airspace violations and not linger here overlong, nor will we plot the Kyronic Uprising herein. "Wink", as they do say.

>Investigate the area thoroughly the moment the guards are out of sight. It's clearly what they wanted.

[Mr. Lee Hammer]

> Join in on the investigation

[Despair's Archon of Memes]

>also investigate

[SmilyCube112]

The Drow Elf was now slightly annoyed at Avanyiss, but at least things were resolved peacefully. He decides not to get involved any further and just wait on the side lines, while keeping an eye out for anyone else.

[MadameButterflyKnife]

I will say, I did this "crime" because it appeared to be the most intelligent solution, and because I had been in the group with the ambushers. To continue talking would make me appear to be deliberately distracting them. Now, let us investigate. And to the drow sir: it would be generous of you to give us some assistance. I do not exactly know why you are following us, but I would like some reason to trust you."

> investigate the area around the collapsed farm for any evidence

[SmilyCube112]

"...Fine. But let it be known that I was the only civilised one who didn't resort to violence so quickly." He said, before walking to Hadil to assist them.

> Help with the investigations.

[TenOfSwords13]

>also help with the investigation.

The more people who help, the better.

[GoldenCityBird]

Sorry for the lateness - seems like it'll be just the one update today.

@Florien: You roll a 1 on your investigation roll.

The only thing you manage to find is a rusty nail. And even then, you find it by stepping on it. Ouch.

@Matthew: You roll a ??? on your investigation roll.

You manage to find something - a small fang, quite like a snake's.

@Despair: You roll a ??? on your investigation roll.

Being near the house, you manage to find something within the rubble - a small scrap of paper, heavily charred. The following is what you read, though it may not accurately reflect the writer's intentions:

[...]ination is five to the[...]eft, and nine to the r[...]

@MadameButterflyKnife: You roll a ??? for investigaton.

You scrounge the area thoroughly, but find nothing else of note.

@SmilyCube112: You roll a ??? for investigation.

You manage to find what appears to be a lockpick.

@TenOfSwords13: You roll a ??? for investigation.

You're also out of luck.

[Mr. Lee Hammer]

Discovered this fang. It does make me wonder if the Dragon Queen has some kind of army?

> Is there anything interesting about the fang?

[SmilyCube112]

"......I-I found a lockpick." The Drow Elf says, not liking it's presence here.

[MadameButterflyKnife]

"Even if she did, it would be surprising for such a small serpent to take down a whole building. Even many would be surprising. A lockpick is strange, though. If it were a random burn and pillage, then there would be no need to use a lockpick. All the locks would be destroyed. Unless...the place was broken into for something, and attacked to destroy those within and any evidence. Would fit in with the guard's speak of dissidenrs."

[Florien]

THSSAYFYCHHVELSOWWW

It's probably fine. Yes. Anyway.

Ahhhsssss... wait a minute, that paper. sounds like a code for a secret door. Though there might be more components. I'll track those.

>Look for any more bits of paper like the one found.

Other ones! Look around for a grid of some kind when you get the chance. The village itself might be a grid, it might be a specific wall, it might be a buttonplate on a wall or door, might be a leverrow or grid, might be a suspicious row of candles or sconces. The grid or line must be at least nine long in one direction, probably longer and probably the horizontal. Go go go! There's either treasure or evidence or both back there!

[MadameButterflyKnife]

> search for a grid

[Florien]

Something occurs to Avanyiss as she's looking around for more information.

Oh, oh, or it could be one of those spinny locks. Those ones that are really really easy to get through but people insist on using anyway. You know, the kind with the dial and you spin it and it moves the plates around in the back to decide whether it should open? Number locks or whatever?

It might be one of those and not a grid. Dial combination locks. Never understood the point of using them... combination locks in general.

You know, if you want to keep certain people out, use a shapecheck lock. Combination locks are way more vulnerable to information leak, and both are vulnerable to explosives and sometimes hammer-and-chisel. The only advantage to a combination lock is that you don't need people to carry around the key, and then people write it down like this, allowing them to carry the key. Moving on. Keep looking, we'll find something, I promise you that. Then, we can get this research team off the ground.

Then, another thing seems to occur to her, and she straightens for a moment, an odd look in her eyes.

Another point, tangential, what say all you I call us the Science Team? Because we're solving mysteries of science, like island floating, and modern areogeopolitics? Mordecai doesn't get a vote because he tried to start a war with those perfectly nice infantrvolkiv who left and implied that they'd ignore us crime-ing. Everyone else think that a good name for our group?

[Mr. Lee Hammer]

I'm here to do my job, a team near is very irrelevant to me. Call us whatever you wish, but I suggest you not push me around, lizard.

[SmilyCube112]

"So, you're saying the lockpicks were for dealing with special locks? That seems possible. As for that team thing......" The Drow Elf said before pausing his words and takes a closer look at the lockpick to see if that's the case.

> Take a closer look at the lockpick.

[Florien]

You don't have a "job", Mordecai Mahsahnyreiter. Otherwise you would not have responded to the letter, otherwise you would not be a corpse in a suit of armor. You cannot fool me. You are of the most pathetic breed of Irekhin that I have met, the one who thinks themselves smart because they can walk through life... or undeath in your case, with little more than a grimace and a moderately threatening quip.

Your quips threaten no one. They are the quips of a hatchling who never learned how to truly hurt or frighten others, but was simply large enough to get their way, and mistakenly associated their success with their words, rather than their luck to be larger than their comrades. I must confuse you, because you have finally met someone who physically cannot see you as large, because we are the same height.

Your actions, they are the actions of the kind of person who thinks the best arrow for war is the one which pierces the most armor. The one who thinks the battle ends when the stabbing stops. I don't know what you want from me, Mordecai, but you're not going to intimidate me into giving you whatever it is, because on a fundamental level, I'm the one who got us information from the guards that you would have not. Would we know that the king is suspected of assassinating some people in this ruined village without my words? Without my words, who's to say we would not have been under investigation for the senseless murder you intended to commit?

Avanyiss glares at Mordecai, seemingly expecting an answer, when the elf speaks. Then she sighs.

...Not even remotely what I said, yet again. You seem incapable of understanding basic speech or when something's not about you. I said that the paper is for a door or lock of some sort, and I said it might be a disc combination lock. I don't give the slightest fuck about that lockpick. Lockpicks are the tools of a flourisher. It is meaningless or largely tangential, most likely, and quite besides, a lockpick can't pick a combination lock. They are for shapecheckers alone. Anyway, a hammer and chisel or bump key work well enough to get through nigh any lock worth getting through, or failing that, a crowbar, and a bump-key specifically is as quiet, faster, and doesn't break the lock every time. Flourishers do not meet good ends, case in point, me, stuck here, dealing with your inability to comprehend words and strange capacity to take everything in the weirdest possible direction, and Mordecai's pathetic intimidation attempts. At the very least, the other... three, I suppose, seem fine. Perhaps you two are the place where all the terrible was dumped, and everyone else is good! Yes, I shall remain optimistic.

[SmilyCube112]

"Hey, at least I'm willing to look at all possibilities here." The elf says, before relenting on the lockpick examination and continues with "But, despite being a jerk, at least you've got your priorities straight. Unlike the rest of the group. Guess that makes you the leader, huh?"

[Mr. Lee Hammer]

People like you are pathetic. You think just because you went to college that makes you the most intelligent being in this world. You act like you're so superior yet you still lack of world experience. You want to accuse me of doing the same thing you're doing. If you must know, I have worked as a soldier, a mercenary, whatever work comes by. I have seen a lot of things in my past 20 years. How vicious some get. How they don't hesitate to kill you if you don't pick up the sword. But you just choose to simply ignore that I do what is asked of me. Because I have served in armies. I get told to do a role and do my job. Like I'm doing right now. But you just simply choose to ignore that because the only thing you care about is boasting to me about your superiority. I will grant you have find some pieces to the puzzle that will help us greatly. But keep in mind that if you end up in a battle yourself, we'll see how you do. Pick up a sword, bow and arrow, magic, whatever. Let's send you out there. You and you alone. Let's see how you do against an army.

Mordecai takes a deep breath.

You want my assistance, you want me to help in the investigation? I will do it. You want to be the mouthpiece to get us closer to obtaining our goals. You do it. My point is we all have roles. So you would be wise to watch your tongue. It is not me merely intimidating you. You seem so quick to want to throw me under the wagon. Don't think any of us won't do the same to you if you keep this up. You have your worth, but don't try to delude yourself into thinking you're everything there is because you're far from it.

[Florien]

I'll take the mantle of leadership offered, certainly, though ahhhhh... it's a bit of a step up, research assistant to leader. If other... shall we say, more "interested in introducing themselves ever" people approve, I will lead. If not... we shall see then. Perhaps we are to be leaderless. Either way, principles Kyronildahl, yes? Ones we should instill upon this land, perhaps. It is lacking in certain arboreal decoration, if you know of what I speak... ah, I never did introduce myself. But then not one of you ever asked, yes? You should figure out social niceties when you get the chance. It will get you farther than stabbing guards over nothing.

She assumes a formal, somewhat rigid looking position, as if she very much does not enjoy introducing herself but is trying very hard to do it as correctly as possible.

Avanyiss, Avanye without. Evireiter by line. Ignore the middle part of my name tag, I have not managed to track down the appropriate kind of equipment to know if you could understand the full explanation of the ahhh... nickname shall we say, and I am not interested in explaining all the details at this time. She/her. Now you. Umm... How do you say it in your language? Besides the point, I do not need to ask the questions, they will get answered. Introduce yourself, elf.

She pointedly ignores most of Mordecai's rant while requesting introductions, and then waits for him to finish. When he does...

Is that it? I really thought there'd be... substance there. I could argue against it, but I think the flaws in it are self-evident. Ahh... no, never mind. I could identify them if pressed, but I think you'll improve your skills more if you identify your own failings, since you are clearly not interested in hearing of them secondhand, as interesting as I find your... ahhhh... reasoning in response.

She looks somewhat disappointed.

[SmilyCube112]

The Elf is unsure if he should, but at this point, he's decided Avanyiss' worth the risk. So, he says to the lizard in a hushed voice (but ensuring that Avanyiss can hear him) "My name is

MagnusPronounced as "MAHNG-noos"

".