Prisoner interrogation aftermath 1027/01/01: see reports/1027_01_01_traitors.txt ================================ Tessarael called an assembly to talk to the security network employees: "A and B, who have been training and working with you, had colluded to expose details about the security network we are establishing to the highest bidder. The Rajah has executed them for treason." There were gasps from various people. A couple look at each other a little uneasily. "They had worked as bandits and thugs previously and committed numerous crimes." The people that shifted uneasily were those who wren't exactly on the right side of the law all of the time. Tess will allay their fears later in private. "I don't mind working with people, who have shady backgrounds. What I need is loyalty and people who will guard each other's backs and ensure that none of us are endangered by security leaks from within. It's unfortunate that this was necessary. The Rajah personally dealt with them." "It is likely that Hulean spies will attempt to infiltrate us at some stage, though to the best of our knowledge they have not done so. I apologize for the rigorous interviews we've put you through, but this is the sort of thing we needed to detect before some of our agents were hurt. " "In particular, if any threats are made to coerce you as individuals, let me know. We'll handle it. I don't mind playing along enemy agents and then capturing them. Any questions?" One said: "So if someone tries to buy us, or threaten us, we should tell you." Tess: "Yes. [..] I'll help you prepare some basic cover stories in the event that happens. You can give them incomplete information, which won't endanger us, but will enable us to catch them. In particular, I am skilled in dealing with this sort of thing. I've had some fairly precarious situations that I've managed to scrape through myself, and I'm happy to help you and ensure that we do a good job." Tess: "As some of you will have picked up from the training in information gathering techniques, enemy agents will also use this approach. Be very suspicious (but not openly so of course) when someone makes such enquiries." "If any of you have any other information on A and B, let me know. They were interrogated thoroughly, in a civil fashion. They hadn't got to the point of selling the information yet. And if any of you have any questions or concerns to raise that you don't wish to discuss publically, you are free to approach me or your trainers in private." One says: "They seemed ok..." One of the others says "forgotten your training so quickly?" Tess will smile. "Yes, they were competent. I didn't pick anything up until we questioned them in detail. A further word of caution, while we've used magic to help in some of the interviews, it can be avoided or misled by competent enemy agents." Hiresh ====== Hiresh knocks on Tess' door soon after this meeting. Hiresh: "Can I speak with you?" Tess: "Sure. Tess will invite him in to sit down in his office." Hiresh: "I have a few things to tell you." Tess will nod and listen. "Firstly, I've been infiltrating the organisation. Don't do anythign rash, hear me out." Tess will merely quirk an eyebrow. "I was trying to see if you were a member of the Sightless Ones. You don't appear to be, which is why I'm telling you this." Tess: "Go on." Hiresh: "The Sightless Ones and my people have a long and bloody history of fighting. I thought you might be creating a new nest of them. By my people, I mean..." Hiresh shifts form to appear as Tess. On careful examination, you realise he isn't quite sitting on the chair like Tess would. Otherwise, perfect. Tess can't see any physical difference. Tess: "That is possible magically, though your mannerism was nearly perfect. Your people are ...?" Hiresh: "What we are isn't important. I'm interested on how you, with your static body shape, can manage such diverse appearances." Tess will chuckle. "You have an amazing knack. I want to know who you do it. I want to be your student." Tess: "Training. Props." Tess will hmmm. "I am happy to employ one with your skills, and to teach you, really teach you how to cover who you are. My abilities go beyond what you have seen." Hiresh nods. "However, I also expect that the people who work for me ... especially someone to whom I may reveal detailed knowledge of how to evade normal detections ... I expect an open honest working relationship." Hiresh: "This is why I have some to speak with you openly." Tess will nod. Tess: "As such, I would like to know what you are, and what the Sightless Ones are." Hiresh: "The Sightless Ones hunt our kind, the shifters, for the sport of it." Hiresh: "We are not human obviously, but their are differences between the kinds. One kind you have probably heard of, the doppelgangers." Tess will nod. Tess: "What are the Sightless Ones? I take it they don't have anything to do with Hule." Hiresh: "No, they are hunters in the night." Tess: "Are the Sightless Ones known by names that would be more familiar to me?" Hiresh: "I do not know of what names you know them by. They are not known very well even in static society. They are generally human, since they are from Sind. I have never seen one, but they like black clothes. They favour striking from concealment." Tess: "They are an organization? Do they worship a particular deity? or deities?" Hiresh: "Yes. Not that I am aware of. They do this for their own reasons. Enough abut the silent ones, do you think you could accept me as a student? If not, I will go on my...thank you." Tess: "Yes. Whether or not you're ready to learn what I have to teach is a different question." Hiresh nods. "I will probably need to train you to a point where you can learn some of the insights that I have from years of training and experience in the field." Hiresh: "I am quite skilled already." However, it turns out that Hiresh still needs Skill Focus (Bluff). Tess: "I take it you have a decade or two spare to learn from me?" Hiresh: "My kind are long lived, although not as much as your kind." Hiresh: "I work alone, and given the silent ones, skills in the more sneaky side of life are handy to know. [..] My disguise doesn't just use my shifting ability, you have to copy the persons mannnerisms as well." Tess: "Do you know anything of Hule's agents? I know they're skilled, but I haven't run into any yet. Some of them are skilled at evading magical detection." Hiresh: "I ran into them several times. They are skilled at ferreting people out. I don't know anything of what kind of network they would have in Sind though. I was forced to kill most of those I've encountered, lest they give me away." Hiresh doesn't want for anyone else to know what he is. He appears to be a sneak-thief of modest talent to the others. The only other skill he has is being a farmhand. He did that a few times, to hide. It takes him a moment to adopt a new form and new mannerisms. He can adopt a female form, but prefers male form. He has appropriate clothing for a female as well. Identities for Hiresh: ---------------------- Hiresh - a field agent, Ved - a trainer in disguise and bluff. Hiresh is nominally a "field agent", which frees up some time for a more competent cover, Ved, to help me train others while Tess trains him. Ved background: Comes from Mumlyket of Jalawar. Was a farmhand in his youth. A farmhand from near the capital. Since then Ved has travelled around a fair bit ... Hiresh has visited Jalawar a few times, I should be convincing enough unless I run into a person also from there. Caste: Himaya. A poor end of Himaya, so I had to work on the family farm. Left to find fame and fortune elsewhere. Ved wandered, did the occasional odd job, became a seasoned traveller. As one travels, one picks up some skills of course, skills in evading trouble, and keeping an eye out for tibbits of information. Wedding organization: ===================== Phoranin: "The church pays." Phoranin suggested a honeymoon on the Alphatia holiday isle: Gaity. Gaity had some problems with a few things...corrupt governors after Thyatis invaded...I hear it's ok now, and pretty safe. When the Alhpatian contient disappeared, a few places were left like easterhold, the entire continent of Belissaria, etc. They have formed the New Alphatian Confederacy E*mumble*, or NACE. Azcan-styled architecture in Aengmoor City was Schatten Alfen height. --- Tess goes to the Cage. Umbra ===== Tess visits Umbra at the dark, grand cathedral. Some people were entering as Tess arrived. They appear to be there for...worship. When you see Umbra, she looks like a mature woman of 30, not the girl you once knew. She is happy to see Tess though. She will definitely come to the blessing. Tess is glad to see her doing well. Tess gives her a description of Whitehart, so that she can get there. Umbra appears to have priests and worshippers somehow. Tess will hang around for a bit (chat with her a while), clean the gutters if they need doing, and then be on his merry way. Tess will clean and make any necessary repairs given the time he has spare. And point out more minor stuff that they should get fixed sometime. Places to holiday: ================== Beastlands: A place of wild, unatmed lands - but friendly animals. Elysium: good weather. Arboria: plenty to see and do, every day is a party. Plenty of wild growing things. Dead people go there for a good time as well. Mount Celestia: Wits... Well....You could go to Mount Celestia. It's where the celestials come from. Mechanus: Match wits with the formians on mechanus. Time travel: ============ No temple of Khoronus in the Cage, but there is a priest of Khoronus. Priest: "The gods do live as we do. We see time as a long road stretching before us and after us, while we sit on the wagon traveling the road. The gods can get off the wagon, take a short cut through the woods, or even change the path of the road to a new one. Mortals do not have that kind of power. If a mortal changed time, they had the help of a god. Possibly several gods. Not necessarily Khronous, although he is the head of the gods of time. He works with other deities to ensure the road follows the right path. What that path is is not always obvious to us. And disputed sometimes by some of them I suspect. The gods of time do not always agree with their lord, Khoronous." If mortals attempted to change the course of time, they would come into conflict with the gods, unless the gods knew nothing about such attempts. "Gods with divine magic might make items that alter time. It is possible that an item might gain such powers by accident. Magic is not always created by the hand of man. Sometimes the right combination of events can result in magical effects. [..] Oh, just things like swords which end up being magical after being wielded over several genrations, that kind of thing. I've never seen myself an item which was created by accident which allowed time travel backwards, but it is possible." The priest doubted that a mortal mage could travel back through time without immortal help. "He was in a temple dedicated to his deity, a major temple there. Possibly his deity arranged it. If that happened, then maybe you were the agents of some other deity or deities to fix that. In which case, I could see some other deities making sure the first deity ended up even worse off than before, in punishment. " --- Sage of Magic in the Cage - Modron, black hulking thing "I have no reliable reports on methods to time travel. I have reliable reports that time travel has occured, but no-one is able to give me a consistent theory on how this would work in practice. Mortals have done this, but no mortal still living has performed this under their own power or with their own skills." [So mortals were able to do so previously, but not now? And those that have done so, are dead? or in previous times?] "... there is no consistent thoery on how to accomplish this. This does not indicate it is impossible, however it also does not indicate it is possible. I do not know the location of any item, or the item of any location, which allows time travel in a backwards fashion. I do know of such which allow it in a forward direction." [Forwards is possible because it does not change the time line?] "Note that the item does not allow one to return to the current time. It's more intrested in the theory. It can tell you easily enough how to built such a device to your own specifications. Hall of Records =============== Hall of Records in The Cage has gate information. 5gp to ask about registered portals. The hall of infomation has three marble columns on the way in. Each column has one word. COOPERATION, CONTROL and COMPLIANCE. The COOPERATION column appears weakened by structural flaws and appears ready to collapse. A small sign indicates that repair by the bureau of city services of the column is imminent. The hall itself is made of posihed blue marble, illuminated by aquamarine chandeliers. It is spotless. It smells faintly of apples. Tess enquires about gates to Mystara from the Cage. "Any particular continent? Alphatia? Thothia? Thonia?" Brun. "Nithia? Kingdom of Darokin? Republic of Darokin? Principality of Darokin? [..] Ok, republic of Darokin. Ah, easy. Go to the Trioptic Nic'epona. Hmm, problem with that. The command phrase is not publically known. *1 day with Zactars. 2 to 3 days for the appointments to enquire at Hall of Records. Tess spends the interim time with the Zactars. 1027/01/20.* Questions to ask: Holiday locations? Time travel? Interesting places to go?