Zg Session 25.5

Phyllis: So, first things first: investigating … Sehjin's victims over the last week while we were sailing back.
Aleith|DM: Alright. The first victim was a guard patrolling on Pine Island. This was only a few hours after Xambria disappeared from the hold of the Dagger.
Aleith|DM: The second was a factory worker in Parity Lake the next night.
Aleith|DM: After that was a gondoleer that works on the Stanfield.
Stanfield Canal
Aleith|DM: The fourth was a low-level bureaucrat working in the North Shore.
Aleith|DM: After that was a thug in the Netttles, then another bureaucrat working in an office in Central.
Aleith|DM: Last night was a housewife in Parity Lake.
Phyllis: Not the lineup she was inspecting. She was expecting things more like … well, how's the investigation on the intrusion in Saxby's manor come along since?
Aleith|DM: The guards aren't saying much, but like they said, nothing appears to have been taken.
Phyllis: She -did- have another inclination to visit Rock again.
Phyllis: Or … actually, where would his gun be?
Aleith|DM: Thanks to the policeman keeping watch on him, it's not actually that hard to track him down, now that he's been released. He has a busy schedule, but the bodyguard makes him let him know the itinerary at least a day before.
Aleith|DM: Desparate to get the locals away from the station, the trial was fast-tracked.
Aleith|DM: When do you want to drop in on him, exactly? At home, at a performance, or…?
Phyllis: At home. Or at least somewhere with an hour or two of solitude.
Phyllis: Y'know. For ritual-conducting.
Aleith|DM: He's not home that often (not even overnight most evenings) but you get ahold of him during the afternoon a couple days later.
Aleith|DM: The police officer lets you in, with a short salute.
Phyllis nods. "Afternoon again, Rock."
Rock: "Ah, welcome, Constable, uh…."
Cop: "Constable Lenz, sir," he says, rolling his eyes.
Rock: "Right, Constable Lenz! Welcome to my humble abode!" He says, gesturing around.
Aleith|DM: It's not exactly what most would call humble.
Phyllis glances around. What kind of gaudy … no, she's not here to criticize interior design.
Phyllis: "As far as our current investigation, I think I actually don't have anything to ask you. You've been a tremendous help so far. But there have been some events that seem to be playing out over a longer-term course that I'm curious about."
Rock: "Oh? Like what?"
Phyllis: "Why someone would want to kill you. You don't remember much of your trip to the Feywild, do you?"
Rock: "Not really, no. 's all kind of a blur."
Phyllis chuckles. "Would you like to? You may not have memory of it, but something else of yours might."
Rock shrugs. "How?"
Phyllis: "Asking your gun. … Kind of. There exists a divination ritual for such a thing. I used it once on your gun before, asking about the incident at Gun Alley. It's why I believed so confidently that the incident was a case of accidental manslaughter, not murder."
Phyllis: "You mentioned it was changed. Aren't you curious about how? And possibly why?"
Phyllis: "You're free to refuse, of course. There's no real urgency for it."
[OOC] Aleith|DM: it was actually on the bullet before
[OOC] Phyllis: OH well then
Rock: "Sure, knock yourself out. Gonna do it here?"
Phyllis: "Preferably so. It could take some time."
Rock: "'s alright. Don't have to leave for my next gig for a couple of hours."
Aleith|DM: He grabs his gun, makes sure it isn't loaded, and places it on the table in front of you.
Phyllis: "Anything you want to ask in particular? Images to see? I can get about two or three."
Aleith|DM: If you've forgotten, it seems to be made of solid gold, and encrusted with diamonds.
Phyllis: H-how could anyone forget -that- detail…
Rock: "Honestly not really sure."
Phyllis pulls out her ritual book and turns to the pages for Object Reading. "Leaving it entirely up to me, then?"
Rock: "Well, I mean, I woke up back in the woods, and it was like that. Was normal before I visited the moon. Not sure when it happened, right?"
Phyllis: "So, at a minimum: 1) When did it change? 2) Who changed it?"
Rock: "Works for me, I guess." He shrugs slightly.
Phyllis: "And if fate's friendly enough to enlighten us on a third: Who caused the gun to fire at the Gun Alley incident? By normal means, you think it'd just be you pulling the trigger, but - my train of logic here has to do with rumors I've heard of philosophy texts and the will of objects."
Rock: "Well, I don't feel like anything was wrong with me at the time, so I'm pretty you'll just see my handsome mug, but if you want to check, go ahead."
Phyllis: "I have one other suspect in mind for that, at least. Someone that's almost gone entirely forgotten in this investigation. But like I said, I'm playing the long game here."
Phyllis: And with that, here goes:
Aleith|DM: Arcana check?
Phyllis rolled d20+14 and got 18 ( Total: 32.0 ) for Arcana
Aleith|DM: That's 5 images
Phyllis: Well, you have questions for 3.
Phyllis: 4: The last time it was near the Fey Queen, if at all.
Phyllis: 5: The last creature it killed in the Temple of Jiese.
Aleith|DM: The first two images seem to be connected. It shows Rock yawning with one hand, while the other holds the gun as gloved hands hold the barrel of the gun, which seems to be in the middle of shifting from steel to gold.
Aleith|DM: The second image shows those gloves and the rest of the jacket on a tall figure-the clothes are elaborate, yet dignified. The cut seems similar to what you've seen Chandrasekhar wear on his days off sometimes. Above the overcoat floats a mirrored mask. The figure wearing the clothes, and the cut of the mask, is decidedly feminine.
Aleith|DM: The third image is much like that first image with the Object Reading for the bullet, with Rock Rackus firing the gun at the worm maw on the fairgrounds.
Aleith|DM: The fourth image shows Rock drunkenly staggering throw a portal to a forsest as the mirror-masked figure watches.
Aleith|DM: The fifth image shows Rock near several others, including Finona and a couple of the mages from the Mavisha site, inside a building that looks similar to the Ziggurat of Apet. A golden bullet strikes the forehead of a fiery man-serpent wielding a spear.
Phyllis: "Well. Seems there is some veracity to your stories about the Fey Queen after all, even if you were blackout smashed during it. Sadly, I don't think I was specific enough to figure out anything pertinent to any malice aimed at you."
Phyllis: "Though I did put some fears of mine to rest. It's easy for oneself to get caught up in their own illusions and grand narratives they write for themselves. This ritual is always a refreshing dose of reality, I find."
Rock: "Oh, that's good, I guess. Was she as hot as I remembered?"
Phyllis: "I think she's invisible except for her clothes and mask. It's hard to tell."
Phyllis glances around the place, then back at the gun. "You know, I'm reminded of a recent proposal in the papers. The Dream Road?"
Rock: "What was that one about? The portal thing instead of trains?"
Rock: "Man, I'm a big fan of teleportation, but it's hella expensive."
Phyllis: "Yes. … And yes."
Phyllis: "I'm guessing your ammunition is, as well."
Rock: "I try not the shoot the showpieces."
Rock: "Don't usually plan to get into firefights."
Phyllis: "Fair enough. Still, I'm curious if there's some method to fund that proposal over the railway proposal instead."
Phyllis: Well, there's one other method she can think of, but won't speak of. Witch oil.
Phyllis: "Seeing the moment your gun changed - transmuting into gold, like some other artifacts I can think of - makes me wonder if there's some way to trivialize the expenses."
Rock: "Dunno, ma-ma'am. Might've been a fey thing?"
Phyllis: "Or Ancients. The ones that built the temple you visited. But I'm not entirely sure of a connection between those two."
Phyllis stands and nod, giving Rock a smile as she does so. "In any case, thank you. Let me know if you need anything."
Rock: "No problem. You helped me out of a jam, after all. I'll let you know when I find that scroll, ya hear?"
Phyllis: "Please do."
Aleith|DM: The officer shows you back out.
Phyllis: And … I think that's it. Starke can wait until after this case, probably. The week's going to be full of requisitions and planning, otherwise. Getting this out of the way will at least help her focus and be less distracted. Otherwise, she'd convince herself of some terrible fate and keep jumping at shadows.

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