[Royal Guard] Illithid and Unprovoked Attack - 2.VI.478

[Karras / Stu]

(A guardsman's report with a strong left-slant and rather scrawled Arangothian characters reads the following, sent with the other piles of letters of the various guard reports of the day.  The missive arrives late after a cerain an adjudant insists to make some corrections due to what was deemed as 'poor grammar and sentence structure' and 'an overuse of colloquialisms'.)

Guard Report.
Armsman Merrax ul-Oryan Ratholta
Middle Watch & Morrow Watch, Black Dragon District.
Tordas, Middle Year 5, 478.

Having been involved on a more indirect scale to the events surrounding the strange appearace of the Illithid and the unproked attack by a now unidentifiable and particularly burnt-to-cinders kaxatod, an event that occured on Sundas, Middle Watch 2, 478, I heard reports of various people who'd been at the scene but had retreated after the attack, and subsuqently avoided for questioning.

I noticed one individual within the Black Dragon Inn earlier today that matched one of the reported witnesses to the scene, one Vorfon Ravynetti Tivaurd.   Although I am aware that Vorfon Tivuard's reputation amongst the Chancellory and Royal Guard can be described as vauge and arbitrary at best, I did decide to question him on the matter, and hope to add further information to the current situation.

When I questioned Vorfon Tivuard, apart from the fact that I was very close to upsetting my breakfast on the spot at whatever freak of nature he decided to speak to me with, he did provide me with some information about the incident.  Vorfon Tivuard told me he had spoken to this mind-flayer of sorts, and that the mind-flayer had claimed that he was not a strong Illithid, but rather the slave to some Overmind creature.  Although I'm not gonna be one to speculate, I sure hope this isn't a repeat of what happened two years ago.

Vorfon Tivuard told me that he was unable to acquire a name for this tentacle-head individual, but that the tentacle head individual was more interested in acquiring or learnign some of whatever it is that pallod-like magick-spawning stuff that Vorfon Tivuard does, that quite frankly makes my skin crawl in waves.   After this, Vorfon Tivuard went on to say that another indvidual brandishing some sword attacked the tentacle-head individual, at which there was much ill-will and shouting and whatnot.  It was here Vorfon Tivaurd claims, that the Illithid and the other gentlement departed.

It was here that Vorfon Tivuard went on to also describe the incident involving the toxic gas and that konkeletek broppi who decided to start chucking darts around the place and generally making people feel sick, before setting certain individuals inadvertently on fire, an incident which I myself was involved in the cleanup with various other members of the Royal Guard.   I understand many guards did take reports, but I also thought I'd take the initiative and make further enquiries.

Vorfon Tivaurd did not see much of the ongoing sangli-kicked dart-thrower, apart from to say that their were either two parties involved in the poison-dart tossing, or that the indvidual assailaint moved incredibly fast, perhaps at an almost 'inhuman' grace, as was described by Ravynetti himself.  I didn't get to see much of the charred bodily remains of the assailant, only the mess it had left behind.

I will continue to make further enquiries into this matter, provided that such activites are not favourable my superiors.  I do feel it's my job to check up on these matters, since there were no guards present during the actual incident, as far as I am aware at this point in time, anyway.

Me exinmem,
Armsman Merrax ul-Oryan Ratholta.


AMMENDMENT:  This morning, after I had completed my morrow watch, I involved myself with some general conversation (and disapproval of terrible hair trends) to a certain goxod by the name of Vorfon Raeyvar Aislinn.  I discovered that he was actually a first-hand witness to the dart-chucking-gas-ball-assailaint-thing incident, and so I asked if he'd made a statement.  He told me that he'd spoken to a number of guards, and that the 'robed fellow' he was with was also going to contact some of those higher up fellows in the Chancellory.   I can only assume the 'robed fellow' he speaks of is none other than Professor Caius Stygian, plus some other muxion girl who he was with at the time.

It seems that the assailant was after the muxion girl for some reason.  Although I'd usually be one up in arms here to scream about kids running around the inn, my assumption is she must have been with the Professor at the time, and was probably a student at the university.  I've seen these types before, the usual late-rite-of-passage loud young adul students who hang about the commonroom in the inns duruing in the early eve sometimes, get drunk on Vale Ale and whine about their assignments being too bloody long and and their courses too short for the cost.

Why some assassin of sorts would go after a student of the Royal University is totally beyond me.  I mean I've met the busar once or twice, and he's a real stuck-up pexolta when it comes to late tuition fees, but this is just bloody ridiculous.  I guess there's some other motive here, but young folks I spoke to from the University, although a little shaken by the news, said the girl had no enemies to speak of.  

In any case, I've left a transcript of the interview with this missive..   I'll be around the guardhouse should any of my superiors require me about this.


-Armsman Ratholta.


      
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<Merrax> After sorting out all the usual rigmarole, passing through the guards at the entrances, then finding his way as they weeding through the various corridors, Merrax would lead Raevar into a rather simplistic room, typically used for interrogatio -- uhh, I mean interviews.  Yes.  Interviews.   "Take a seat, Vorfon.  Oh, I'm Merrax, case y' didn't hear earlier.  Armsman Merrax ul-Oryan Ratholta." He wavers a hand to offer him an empty chair.

* Raeyvar`Aislinn takes a seat as requested, "I'm Raeyvar Aislinn of the clan Amethar. That won't really...mean anything here though so uh...Raeyvar Aislinn of the Aislinn Mercenary Company."

<Merrax> "Never heard of it," Merrax dismisses with a waver of his hand.  "But I don't get out much, so."   He shrugs, then takes an opposite chair, tossing a book upon the table.  "All right, Vorfon Aislinn.   I take it you must be the goxod they stitched up here the other night?" Goxod being Arangothian for 'commoner'.

 * Raeyvar`Aislinn nods his head slightly, "I assume so, not sure what a goxod is but yes I was stitched up, it was only burns though. The lady had one eye, and looked like horns or antlers that were chopped off."

<Merrax> He grinned then, the smile widening until it grew into a soft a chuckle.  "Lieutenant Albesce," he sides with a smile.  "Senior Healer.   You're Menx-damned lucky you got her lookin' after yer, an' not some konkeletek butterfingers with a scalpel."  He nods, then flips open the book, and from his cloak, he removes not a quill and pot, but a pen, of all things.  "Bloody marvellous this thing is," he sides softly. "Got no idea how it works, but yeah.  Useful."  Clicketyclick, he snaps the end of the pen, the presses it to paper.  "I'm gonna ask yer about the night in question Vorfon.  Firstly, just take your time, and start from the beginning.  Tell me everything you can remember, start to finish.  I'll prompt for questions as you go along, so you don't have to rush.  All right?"

* Raeyvar`Aislinn nods his head slightly, "Alright well I was on my way out with my friend Taliara as it was getting rowdy and near time for my shift for my employer. I heard a pair of darts thrown and reacted as quickly as I could to try and swat them out of the air with my blade, missed the one that hit the guy with the mage robes, but the one aimed at griffon girl I did connect with."

<Merrax> "Right.  Now some other Vorfonel said something about a gas explosion.  You remember anything about that?"

 * Raeyvar`Aislinn leans back as he closes his eyes and takes a breath, "He was taking the girl outside because of some strange green gas, I don't know how it got there but it had an odd scent to it, didn't do much to me but she was acting like she was drunk, lost and was a clueless child. Mage guy was unaffected."

<Merrax> "I see.   Go on."

* Raeyvar`Aislinn opens his eyes back up to look at Merrax, "I followed them outside because I figured they would be attacked again and it was the right thing to do. A sphere of alchemist's fire was thrown and I swatted it with my blade, not knowing what it was. All three of us got a little burnt but most was blown away from us and to the ground."

<Merrax> His pen was moving autonomously, and very quickly, finding its mark as the man spoke.  "Followed... outside...    sphere of fire... swatted away.... burns suffered, not serious...."  He looks up.  "Van.  Good.  What happenend then?"

<Raeyvar`Aislinn> From there I got rid of what I could of the fire before I went after the assailant, looked like some monk guy, The mage and griffon girl moved ahead to the guard house. I threw one of his darts back and as he pulled out a second sphere of that fire and he used the sphere to catch the dart, letting the fire take his face with his life.

<Merrax> Scrawl, scrawl, scrawl.  His pen moves like shorthand is going out of style.  For a farmer, Merrax had learnt to write rapidly in a very short space of time.  "Went after assailant... monk individual.... muxion taken to guard house with robed fellow.... darts thrown back.... assailant topped himself."  He clears his throat.  "Did you get a good look at the assailant?   Any notiecable details?  Features?  Ethnicity?"

 * Raeyvar`Aislinn shakes his head, "No I didn't, hooded and after the fire burst out I moved on, better to make sure your wards are safe first, then investigate. Instead I got healed and salved. The girl was from the magic academy or something like that it sounds like as they were talking about contacting them.

<Merrax> "Nice work.   We follow the same ethos," he comments to Raevar's comment regarding those under your charge.  Of course, he had a good idea from other reports of who those involved were, but he chooses to remain impartial for the sake of leaving the questions not being suceptible to bias.  Or at least, that's how it might appear, anyway.  "Right.   Girl was from magic academy, eh?"   He scrawls more notes. "Right.  Anything else you can think of about the whole dart-gas-fire thing, Vorfon Aislinn?"

* Raeyvar`Aislinn tilts his head slightly, "Not particularly, didn't have the feeling of being random. He was intent and specific, not a single attack was targetted at me even though I was the most visible threat, he was specifically going for the griffon girl...Also the mage was unaffected by the dart which I assume was poisoned by his statements on keeping it."

<Merrax> "This muxion... this griffon girl... I'm assumin' that you're talking about the sing-around-the-trees griffons, and not the hump-an-Elf griffons?"  Cultural joke there.  "Uh, never mind.  Did you find out who she was?  Any ideas why she was being targeted?"

* Raeyvar`Aislinn shakes his head, "No ideas, I don't know who she is but that didn't matter as much as their security did."

<Merrax> "Ah, an altruist, eh?  And here I was thinking you mercs only gave a sangli's bum about what went in your pocket."  He nods, smiling in jest, as the comment had been more intended to be humourous.  "Alright, I think that covers most of it.  Oh!  There was some sort of Illithid I'd heard about in the commons earlier.  Did you get a look at it?  Big ugly thing with tentacles on its head."

 * Raeyvar`Aislinn frowns slightly, "I did, people were holding one-sided conversations with it, very strange. Do those things not talk? And not an Altruist, just very well trained, Aislinn mercenaries have morals, even contractually bound to them."

<Merrax> "Good morals to have, Vorfon Aislinn," Merrax comments.  "And that thing was a mindflayer.  They're these beings with mind-wrangling magick stuff.  I don't know how it works, but the story goes that they eat the brains of their victims.  Or something.   One of those creatures once was responsible for almost turning this city into a hellhole cesspit for his minions." He folds his arms against his chest after closing the book again.  "Hence why we're all in a tizz about one showing up here."

 * Raeyvar`Aislinn nods his head, "I understand...Mind-wrangling magick? So it was speaking through telepathy, explains why I couldn't hear it, that stuff doesn't work on me."

<Merrax> "Yeah.  That mindspeak nonsense.   I dunno what really went on when ol' Iznagar busted up this city, but the story went he could lift a finger and command half the garrison by willpower alone.  They're creatures you seriously just don't wanna get in a 'sinbotrat' with, Vorfon."  This talk seemed to send him silent for a moment, as if contemplating or mulling over something.  "This Illthid.  It hurt anybody?"

* Raeyvar`Aislinn shakes his, "Not that I saw, just...people spoke to it. I never saw it do anything, same evening as the attack on the griffon girl and mage."

<Merrax> "Just as bloody well," Merrax grumbles.  "You see it again and there's none of us bobire guards around, let us know as soon as you can,  eh?"  Clearing his throat, he then tucks his book away.  "Well, that about covers it, Vorfon Aislinn.  Thanks for yer help, eh?"   He stands slowly, offering a hand across the table, palm horizontal, in handshake.

 * Raeyvar`Aislinn nods his head as he stands and accepts the man's hand in a shake, "Will do. Even mercenaries must abide by the laws, and it's only proper respect for a place to follow them when you're a visitor or residence." he smiles and waves to Merrax as he makes his way out and back to the tavern.

<Merrax> "Right.  I'm goin' to bloody bed," Merrax announces to the now empty room, folding his stuff away and heading for his busted-up quarters.