From Sol Invictus

Book01: Loose Ends

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Summary: A break-in at the Labyrinth Cascade is investigated

XP:P4, C5, M4, R4, Z4

Tags:
Mask of Winters, Lai Misuna, Fair Folk

The Labyrinthine Cascade, shortly after the Solars' return from the Underworld.

<Rannath?> "..He's the *Mask of Winters*. Why were you even talking to him?"

Suddenly, rapid footsteps begin to draw nearer from the opposite end of the hall.

<Zahara?> "He ASKED."

A barbarian warrior runs into the hall, panting. "Masters! You must follow me! The Cascade has been breached!"

<Zahara?> "Breached? How? This is unacceptable!"

<Barbarian> "I know not, Mistress Zahara. Follow me, see what I have found!"

He begins to move off in the opposite direction.

The barbarian leads the Solars to a room elsewhere in the manse. Upon the floor lie the cold bodies of two barbarians and a god-blood, along with a thin trail of blood and a scattering of bright red petals.

<Zahara?> "This is not of the Wyld.. Perhaps a spirit came here, or an Exalt."

<Zahara?> "An envoy of Mask of Winters, perhaps, trying to discover what was HERE when we were NOT."

<Rannath?> "We should move the bodies. They require funeral rites."

<Cerin?> "Perhaps, though rosepetals are most unusual for an agent of his...and it was not soulsteel that cut like this"

<Cerin?> "It might have left more traces though...essence flows straight through marble, doesnt hold it as limestone would"

The barbarian says, "This must have occurred while the group of fae warriors attacked our outer defenses; otherwise, certainly more of us would have responded."

<Cerin?> "When was the fey attack?"

<Rannath?> "Hm. A faerie-bought sellsword, with the skirmish as a distraction?"

<Barbarian> "Yesterday, as the sun neared the far horizon."

<Zahara?> "I assume the warriors were easily dispatched, since you brought this to our attention first?"

<Barbarian> "Yes, Master Zahara. They posed no true threat to our fine barbarian warriors."

<Zahara?> "I still say the timing was too perfect for Mask not to have known about it."

<Rannath?> "We should operate under the assumption that all of our potential enemies had a hand in this and eliminate them as evidence is gathered. For all we know, it could be a great conspiracy."

<Cerin?> "Perhaps he did, perhaps he did not. Anyone who watched this place would have known you left, and it would be the ideal time to enter. You must have enemies?"

<Rannath?> "Arrogant worm. Warrior, I have a request."

<Barbarian> "Yes, Master Rannath?"

<Rannath?> "Return these two to their tribes for burial and send for one of my Legionnaires to retrieve our Essence-user."

<Barbarian> "I shall do so at once!" The barbarian claps his chest, then turns to leave.

<Zahara?> "The alarm apparently sounded, but the Manse should be able to defend itself somewhat, especially if we are away for a war."

<Cerin?> "This is where they entered...or dropped some stealth magic I cannot see past..." He points to the middle of the room

<Cerin?> It seems to be a storeroom of some kind, though mostly empty

<Cerin?> "They are obviously possessed of some skill at stealth magics then, or else they can teleport"

<Zahara?> "I don't know how you managed to sleep on the back of that wasp, Marku. Yes, apparently someone just.. appeared here." She points to the offending spot. "And killed three of our men, here" she gestures at the bright red smears on the floor. "And some fae attacked from outside as well."

<Markuran?> "I can sleep anywhere. How else would I get any sleep? Someone's always bothering me when I try to sleep in my bed. I've already taken care of the dead, by the way."

<Zahara?> "How, pray tell, did you do that? We just sent them off a minute ago."

<Cerin?> "The killer did nothing that I can see apart from appear here, kill those three, and then return to this room and vanish to my perceptions again"

<Zahara?> "Hmm. Well then. Cerin, would you like to take the Grand Tour of the rest of the manse with me, and see if you spot anything else unusual?

<Zahara?> "You seem to have an unusually good eye for things."

The warrior agrees and departs. Several minutes later, she returns with another woman who helped fight off the fae menace.

<Barbarian Woman> "Masters, I hear you have called for my presence."

<Barbarian Woman> "They stood taller than any man, and bore the appearance of spun glass, trimmed with ebon wood. There were seven of them, and they struck with no warning, swarming out from the forest and striking down several of the sentries before we could bear upon them."

<Markuran?> "Did they have any markings?"

<Barbarian Woman> "One bore a scarf which was tens of feet long, yet which flew perfectly in the air so as not to burden him; it bore on it this symbol."

She sketches a half-circle with what appears to be scribbling within.

<Barbarian Woman> "It was much more elaborate, I'm afraid; I cannot do it true justice."

<Zahara?> "Hmmm sounds like the horde to the North. They don't usually come down this far, especially into MY territory. I'll have to teach them a lesson."

<Cerin?> "Fae hmm? I havent hunted Fae in a while"

<Zahara?> "My favorite prey, by far. They shatter so prettily."

<Cerin?> "Each to their own"

<Rannath?> "I do not speak in jest, Zenith. Are your numbers large enough to deploy without any weak points?"

<Markuran?> "Yes. We do not need your soldiers to defend ourselves." Mark still looks angry that Rannath would question the effectiveness of his warriors.

<Zahara?> "The labyrinth was especially difficult. It took months to get the pathways to flow correctly."

The barbarian seems confused, as if she is uncertain whether she is still needed.

<Markuran?> "Return to your sisters. The Fire Blood will see to their wounds."

<Zahara?> "And, over here.." she leads you down a twisting hallway into a little courtyard, replete with fountains of essence that shift colors. "This is my favorite part."

<Rannath?> "Since the faeries have seen fit to challenge us martially, I will return the favor tenfold."


A week later, to the north of Chaya. The Solars have tracked the group of faeries who attacked the Labyrinthine Cascade back here, to a small village to the Southeast of Nathir. A large group of fae seems to have been through here, ravaging and discarding the inhabitants, then turning the buildings into a playground for their debauched entertainments.

As Rannath's cavalry tears through the front ranks of the fae, slaying utterly those who stand in their way, Zahara's bell rings out over the field, wounding those who hear it deep within.

Around her position, fae commoners begin to tear at one another in rage.

The fae warrior is struck down by Mark's vicious blows.

<Rannath?> "..I'll be off counting losses and reorganizing." Rannath wipes his blood-caked face with an equally blood-caked gauntlet, sighs, and rides back to camp.

The air has a strange stillness to it; the corpses of the fae cool slowly on the bloodied dirt, less than a mile from where those of the villagers did so the day before.


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