FINCHER: "On the ship, you mean? Not a clue. I know you, er, upset a few people, including the captain, but this was something different. One of the navy mates was telling me it was something personal. I didn't get any more details."
"Well, I hope she understands that I don't remember what I did."
FINCHER: "I hope you won't run into anyone else you've pissed off and forgotten about."
"Thanks, Fincher."
[ ] How does she fight?
[ ] Do you know anything about her history?
[ ] That's enough about Mei.
FINCHER: "Ah, damn, now you're testing me. She's famous enough to come up a few times in military history class, but I, uh, wasn't so great at that subject."
"Just a vague overview would be fine."
FINCHER: "Let's see. She must be in her mid sixties. She was in the..." she snaps her fingers, trying to remember. "...the greater Zhao campaigns, way south of here. And she was a leader in the siege of Lathe. She had a famous duel with an Immaculate monk when she was much younger. And I think she killed an Anathema? Or it might have been a traitor pretending to be an Anathema?"
"Thank you, that was very vague."
FINCHER: "Hey, you asked. You'll have to ask someone else about her history if you want the details."
Fincher steers the horses on carefully. During your conversation you have almost rounded the pass, and the redoubt must be just around the corner. You're almost at your destination, and probably don't have enough time for many more questions.
[ ] How does she fight?
[ ] Do you know who else survived, up there?
[ ] Are we going to talk about the gag thing?
Fincher almost misses a step and stumbles. She shoots you a sharp look.
SAGACITY: I think you may have discovered how to give other people a very small ischemic stroke. A powerful technique.
FINCHER: "Why would you ask me that? Of course we're not going to talk about the gag thing. I thought we both understood that this was a thing we were not going to talk about."
"Alright, fine, fine, we don't have to talk about it."
FINCHER: "I mean, for fuck's sake, as though we don't have enough to be thinking about."
"Oh, you were thinking about it."
FINCHER: "I'm not thinking about it!"
INTEGRITY: She was definitely thinking about it.
"Okay, fine."
A few moments pass in silence, aside from the hiss of rain and the footfalls of the horses.
"I'm just saying if you did want to talk about it-"
FINCHER: "Please just talk about something else."
[ ] How does Mei fight?
[ ] Do you know who else survived, up there?
FINCHER: "Yeah, plenty. Apparently Sulco's Spite was beached almost intact, and picked up other survivors too. Two full talons of legion. Rooster's alive, which is great. Bane of Kasj is alive, which is... fine. Two Dragons among the navy officers. Not clear on the navy marines situation, but sounds like there's a fair few of them as well."
"Sounds like we're in good shape."
FINCHER: "Better than we were, for sure. Must be almost five hundred people up there. And the supplies from the Sulco too. Not looking forward to ship rations again, but it's better than going hungry."
You round the corner of the pass. You see flashes of white and red, tents and awnings, sandbag walls. A fortress in miniature, nestled before the monstrous gates of what can only be Thazaniel.
The manse is a vast obelisk of rainswept, rough-hewn black stone, glistening in what afternoon light shines through the storm clouds. It's tilted at an angle, perhaps ten degrees off its axis. The angle feels naturally congruent with the surrounding stone of the cliff faces, and you intuitively understand that it was constructed this way intentionally.
FINCHER: "Here boss, you'd better take this back."
She hands your ring back to you.
A group of legionaries are approaching from behind the sandbag wall, wearing their heavy-hooded madder dyed cloaks.
SENTRY: "State your names and business."
She doesn't sound particularly tense. Likely the legion scouts have already reported your approach and this is only a formality.
FINCHER: "Fincher, third talonlord. Presenting to make a report to command, as instructed."
She looks expectantly towards you.
[ ] I am Tenebrous Silken Vesper, also here to make a report as instructed.
[ ] I'm between names. Also making a report.
[ ] Just a humble engineer, like the cloak says. Following the talonlord here.
[ ] Imperial magistracy. I'm here to conduct an inspection. (Show the ring.)
[ ] I am who I am and I do what I want. (Flash the ring.)
"I am Tenebrous Silken Vesper, also here to make a report as instructed."
Everyone stares at you, including Fincher. The morose-looking sentry who questioned you very clearly doesn't believe that is your real name.
But it doesn't matter. You believe it.
SENTRY: "Rank?"
FINCHER: "She's the minister."
WAR: NORMAL
CHECK FAILED
WAR: What? You're not a minister, you're a magistrate. You can give orders to all the ministers. Why is your authority being slighted in this way?
SENTRY: "Right." she bows her head stiffly in salute. "Welcome to Sulco camp. Follow me, don't stray. Command is waiting to take your report."
You follow behind, keeping pace with Fincher.
"Fincher." you hiss. "Why didn't you tell me I was a minister?"
FINCHER: "Not a real minister, boss. It's slang for an important civilian working with the legion. I told the scouts there was one with me."
"Oh, that makes sense."
You pass through the camp perimeter, a hastily constructed fortification of sandbags, stones and irregular palisades. The unpleasant odours of many hardworking people in tight and utilitarian conditions are overwhelmed by the smell of fresh bread. Your stomach constricts into a knot, seemingly to remind you of its emptiness.
FINCHER: "Hey, you," she addresses the sentry. "I've got wounded and all of my people are exhausted from marching down here hauling supplies, can we get someone to guide them into the camp? Maybe set them up with some decent food?"
SENTRY: "We'll have it in hand."
You look back to see the other wagons emerging into the rocky clearing in front of the camp. Sure enough, other legionaries are approaching and hailing them.
The camp is huge. You pass row on row of pitched tents. They must be housing hundreds of people outside the manse. Why? Surely such a massive structure is more defensible from within. Not to mention out of the rain.
Finally, you come to a broad awning of white canvas. Water cascades from it in a veil, partially obscuring what lies underneath. You see three figures.
"Well, here we are."
SENTRY: "Yeah, here we are."
The lead sentry walks through the water-curtain, leaving you and Fincher outside with the other camp guards. You hear raised voices. After a moment, she re-emerges.
SENTRY: "Command will see you now. Good luck." she bows her head to Fincher.
It's hard to escape the feeling that she doesn't normally say good luck when telling people that command will see them now.
You walk through the water at the same time as Fincher, rain sluicing off your heavy hood and mantle.
Three people sit on makeshift seating inside the command tent.
You recognize the yellow eye instantly. Though the overcast light is dim, it gleams vibrant and true, as though it is giving off its own luminosity.
AWARENESS: Maybe that's why she's called Shadowless Mei?
INTEGRITY: It's not. You know it's not.
The woman it is attached to lounges on a wooden box. The other eye is concealed by an eyepatch, from under which emanates old, waxy scarring. It looks as though someone has held a hot brand in the shape of a hand to her face, with a palm over her left eye. Her hair is smoke-black, but burned to a fine ashen grey where it intersects with the hand-scar. You judge that she is roughly your height, but more heavily built; her densely muscled arms seem like they are carved from dark wood, flanking the enameled red breastplate which signifies her rank.
The arms are folded. The face is scowling at you.
MEI: "Tenebrous Silken Vesper. In the flesh."
FINCHER: "Dragonlord." she bows her head.
Mei does not avert her withering gaze from you.
MEI: "When the scouts told me we had a civilian Exalt, I was sure Fincher here had found one of the locals. Imagine my disappointment."
???: "Dragonlord, please. Let's not get things off on the wrong foot again."
The second woman speaks in a smooth, low contralto. She is sat in the middle, on a light folding chair. She wears a heavy navy greatcoat with two rows of buttons and a fine black jade decorative chain. She must be one of the navy officers Fincher mentioned. Her skin is starkly pale, almost milk white. Her primly tied hair and eyes are an identical shade of pale blue. She wears large, round-rimmed spectacles, giving her an owlish look.
???: "It is good to see you again. After we parted, I confess I thought your death was assured."
[ ] I'm apparently pretty hard to kill.
[ ] Yeah, it was pretty great, wasn't it?
[ ] I should tell you I don't remember anything.
The woman's face does not change in any overt way, but she crinkles her pale lips inwards almost imperceptably before speaking. This is clearly her version of a grimace.
BLUE OWL WOMAN: "That is not how I would have described it."
MEI: "I told you, she's lost it. If she ever had it."
The third figure clears his throat and speaks up.
???: "Do we care so little about protocol that we're going to let this wretch address an officer without rank? You, do you care nothing for decorum?"
He has wavy grey-white hair and remarkably coloured skin, a dull blue-purple. It reminds you of necrotizing flesh, or a bruise. Like the owl woman, he wears a navy uniform, albeit lacking the black jade chain.
[ ] I don't know her rank, none of you have introduced yourselves.
[ ] I can't remember your ranks or anything else about you.
[ ] Shouldn't you be talking to Fincher?
[ ] I literally care nothing for decorum.
[ ] Fuck your rank, and your weird face.
"I can't remember your ranks or anything else about you."
There is a moment of silence.
FINCHER: "It's true, dragonlord, captains. She doesn't have any memories from before washing up on the beach."
Mei's eye flicks to focus on Fincher for the first time.
MEI: "No, that's what she told you. And you believed her. You're young, errors of judgement happen."
The female navy captain steeples her fingers in front of her and adopts a thoughtful expression.
CAPTAIN BLUE OWL WOMAN: "That would explain why she is going by... what was it? Tenebrous Silken Vesper? A name that you did not recognize, Dragonlord."
CAPTAIN BRUSED FACE MAN: "It sounds like her idea of a joke."
[ ] Are you going to listen to my report?
[ ] What can I do to make you believe me?
[ ] Even if you don't believe me, could you tell me a bit about myself?
[ ] You're being very rude, ignoring Fincher like this.
"We're here to make a report. Are you going to listen to it or not?"
The blue woman's cheeks press inwards just fractionally before she speaks. Her equivalent of an indulgent smile, you assume.
CAPTAIN BLUE OWL WOMAN: "I think we would all be very interested to hear you relate your experience." her eyes flick to Fincher, "And the Talonlord as well, of course. That is why we are here, after all."
Mei stares at you unrelentingly, radiating mute hostility. You're not sure she has actually blinked at all since this conversation began.
ATHLETICS: She is affecting an indifferent posture, but her leg is poised to push off the seat and lunge at you at a instant's notice.
You glance at Fincher. She gives you a small nod. You first.
"Okay, where to begin-"
1)
[ ] Give an exhaustively detailed play-by-play of your thoughts and actions over the last two days.
[ ] Keep it to broad strokes and externally verifiable facts as much as possible.
2)
[ ] Disclose that you found the imperial seal.
[ ] Ommit that you found the imperial seal.
3)
[ ] Disclose that you noticed that someone changed the numbers.
[ ] Ommit that you noticed that someone changed the numbers.
4)
[ ] Disclose that you attacked Orison.
[ ] Ommit that you attacked Orison.
5)
[ ] Disclose that Fincher knocked you out.
[ ] Ommit that Fincher knocked you out.
Please select only one option. We will proceed when different voters have made valid selections for all five categories.
You relate your tale as sparsely as possible, leaving aside such details as discussions with your inner voices, drug cravings, rebellious fingers and the ship/boat controversy. Briefly, you consider including the gag thing just to see how these people react, but you decide that you probably had to be there.
"And after that, I blacked out from dehydration and blood loss."
FINCHER: "We managed to capture a good few horses and loot some much needed gear, and began the trek north. As far as we knew we were all that was left of the expedition, so we made to scout out Ashglass."
MEI: "And did you?"
FINCHER: "We did. It's a lot worse than we were expecting, eleven thousand in the camp, half under arms."
CAPTAIN BRUSED FACE MAN: "That's impossible. That's more than half of the total population of the highlands."
FINCHER: "That's what I said, captain, when my scouts reported it. We went to double check ourselves, and confirmed the figure."
"And some of them were moving strange."
CAPTAIN BLUE OWL WOMAN: "Strange in what way?"
EMBASSY: It's odd that none of them are referring to you as magistrate. They must know who you are.
"There was a group of six hundred and twenty heavy infantry at the front of the camp. They weren't moving, or at least not enough to see. Too well equipped to be decoys. The camp was also structured oddly, there were three large tents that nobody was entering. Figured they were maybe treasuries."
Mei turns her gaze to Fincher, who nods confirmation.
CAPTAIN BLUE OWL WOMAN: "Most concerning. Please continue."
Fincher relates setting up camp at the farm house and your return to it.
FINCHER: "Given that the lady had taken injuries earlier we thought it best that I give her a medical checkup."
CAPTAIN BRUSED FACE MAN: "You are a physician?" His disbelief is plain on his face.
FINCHER: "Surgeon, captain. Why, are you needing something taken out of you?"
The man immediately tenses.
MEI: "Captain Usamir has a brevet rank as auxilliary winglord, Fincher. Show him some respect."
FINCHER: "Right. Apologies, captain."
CAPTAIN BLUE OWL WOMAN: "Please continue."
"We found that I was carrying this." you hold up the imperial seal. "So I guess I'm a magistrate."
MEI: "No you're not. That's mine. You stole it."
[ ] Oh, I'm sorry. Here, take it.
[ ] No, it's mine now, I found it.
[ ] Wait, how can you be a legion officer and a magistrate?
You hold out the ring to her. She makes no motion to take it.
CAPTAIN BLUE OWL WOMAN: "Are you satisfied, dragonlord? It seems the memory loss is real."
MEI: "She could still be lying."
USAMIR: "To what end?"
Mei has no answer.
LOGRIS: "Well, magistrate, for the sake of introduction, my name is Peleps Logris, captain and expeditionary fleet commodore. Shall we continue?"
EMBASSY: She acknowledges your title now. Maybe she was hoping you had forgotten for good?
You put the ring back in your pocket.
"Alright, let's continue. When Fincher and her scalelord were tallying a roster, I noticed that the numbers were different from the ones yesterday."
USAMIR: "Because the scouts were dead."
"No, accounting for that, there was an extra person. Nobody else seemed to notice."
There is a pregnant pause.
LOGRIS: "I must confess myself defeated. There was an extra person who you noticed but nobody else did?"
"Not an extra person, at least not that I found, but an extra number. One of the people that everyone knew was not present the previous day, but I couldn't tell who it was."
USAMIR: "Were you drunk?"
"No. Haven't touched a drop."
All three officers turn their attention to Fincher at the same time.
FINCHER: "It's true. I offered her wine on the first day, she asked for water. Hasn't touched nothing else, neither."
LOGRIS: "Well, I suppose that is a promising development."
