Ants in the Dark
10th of November 2006 A.D.
Dead men tell no tales the old saying goes, yet older still are other stories told, of Tiresias the seer who spoke to Odysseus of the curse that Poseidon had laid upon him for what reason had a dead man to fear even the gods. So it goes here, with eyes in shadow you peer through him and see the roiling resentment in the heart of he who was Demetrius Skavis, like a caged beast taught to fear whip and flame and you stoke it first to hate that cracks frosted puddles then wrath that sends the dumpster rattling rattling with every word out of his mouth. Something tells you this isn't proper police procedure... and by something you mean the ever more alarmed look on the detective's face, but demon's whispers have never lead you astray when it comes to using someone's darker nature. Neither does it do so now...
Lost 2 Essence -> Now at 8/15 (Excellency and ATB)
Demetrius had been the whipping boy for the Skavis heir in life, though the lesson here was not for the prince to learn how not to misbehave, it was to learn to accept cruelty done to a cherished playmate. The relationship had grown from playmate to underling to toy with Demetrius being at the end conditioned to respond to... words that reminded him of better days, not tone, not meaning just the words: 'Go fetch me that witch to string up Dede'
They were going to use a torture technique that had once been used to get confessions from suspected witches, the
strappado or simply the corda.
"Jesus H Christ..." You almost miss detective Murphy's next words. "They did that shit in Vietnam."
"There are only so many ways to torture someone," Lydia whispers. She just sounds
cold, you recognize the signs of someone leaning deep into their power to anchor herself.
The Skavis agents were supposed to kill her afterwards, by hanging."Said we were allowed to fail a few times, as a treat."
Right, despair eaters. Focus on the practicalities Molly, you can feel sick in your own time, you remind yourself as the ghost explains that they were going to use the funeral to mark out members of Chicago's occult community they might have missed. Then they were to drive a few of them to suicide where it would not be too suspicious and start kidnapping families, specifically of prospective leaders in order to turn them into double agents to help kill their friends.
Apparently the original plan had been straightforward infiltration of the Order of the Cauldron, but that has been abandoned due to... you, specifically due to the fact that Athanasius Skavis thought you could mark him on sight for what he was. So he had taken precautions, including recruiting a mortal dupes who call themselves the Ants of the Lord in reference to something called
Formicarius.
"That is a 15th century
text on recognizing and investigating witchcraft," Lydia pipes up. "The ant metaphor is kind of pretentious to tell the truth Nider drops it almost as soon as he establishes it in favor of a kind of preacher's manual, remarkable in the breadth of the subjects it covers, though not in the depth. A lot of that stuff reads willfully sensational, like he is trying to get though to the laity, not to impress his views on other theologians. I think the Bern thing might be from there, one of the cases discussed is a couple from there where the man supposedly confessed and repented and was burned and the woman did neither and... was burned. Funny how that works." Her smile is sharp enough to draw blood, making the ghost recoil a little, though he soon calms down.
Unfortunately Demetrius does not know where House Skavis had found a bunch of genuine witch hunting fanatics to use at patsies, but he does know one other interesting thing which he had not been meant to hear by his master, but instead reached his ears from continuing the childhood habit of lingering near doors when he could. Athanasius Skavis means for you and maybe Harry as well to attack the Ants of the Lord, he has something prepared for that contingency.
He also has the addresses where these cultists, because that is what they
are as much as the ones who follow the Denarians around no matter than they might claim communion with the Church and obedience to God, and their three vampire handlers are hanging out. It's an abandoned strip mall which you remember going to a rave at last year.
Place has really gone downhill.
"Has this happened anywhere else? Is anyone else doing this?" you prompt prompt.
"No... no.. test... dangerous place to test I said but Athanasius he was starting here as part of an agreement with powerful allies. I think it must be the Red Court, they truly
loath Dresden."
"Do you want us to carry a message to anyone?" Lydia asks when it seems like you had finished with your questioning.
"Tell Athanasius to
BURN IN HELL!" The ghost's eye's turn black as pitch as trash starts whirling in a tempest all around ad the lid of the dumpster flies off with a screech of twisted metal.
Once it had rattled to a stop you turn to Detective Murphy: "Did you want to ask anything else?"
To her credit she keeps a professional calm as she puts away the notepad and pen.. "I think this about covers it."
The three of you leave the ghost bent over from the weight of his absent demons, real and metaphorical in the alley and drive off.
By majority decision, meaning you and Lydia you the three of you find a Burgher King to get some junk food and coke to wash down the horrible revelations that ghost had shared as you phone Lara from the car. The phone goes off five or six times before she answers, the dance music in the background making it clear why she had taken so long to answer. "What happened?"
"You have rats in your walls." So for the next half hour you go on to explain what you had found, who you had found and what they are doing, giving all the names you have and using the ghost as cover.
The more you talk the quieter Lara gets. One might be tempted to think she is scheming, each point of data added to some ever-expanding plan, in fact you think that is what she is trying to sound like, but yo your ears her rage is like static behind her every carefully formulated syllable, not so much at the Skavis whose treachery had been expected if not perhaps so soon, but at her own cousin. Now why would Lara Raith who is no stranger to plotting against family be taken so aback by
this treachery?
"Do you remember when I asked you to come to a gathering of the court to confirm that you will not take that which is not offered?" the question draws you out of your mussing.
"Yes," you answer simply. Surely she isn't suggesting going to a party now with your friends in danger from her mad underlings?
"If you would consent to come to the Epulum Jovis on the Ides of November... that is the thirteenth of this month everyone you named will be present and stripped of their guards and resources, a chance to catch all the rats in one draw of the net. If you are otherwise engaged I of course understand, this is an internal matter of the White Court which will be handled by the time the sun dawns on Tuesday, this is simply a chance to join in while fulfilling previous commitments and..." she pauses delicately. "Impress the scope of your power on any others who might be tempted to test it."
What do you reply?
[] Agree, you will be there for the Feast of Jupiter
-[] Try to get other people invited (ex: Harry, Michael, Murphy etc...)
[] Refuse, you are going to deal with this in your own way
-[] Write in
[] Write in
OOC: Good thing Murphy has a high willpower and rolled well, hanging out with an Infernal and an Exigent of Death is... rather stressful to the average mortal. 
)