Game Session #4

[Pikachu]

Josh's note: I think this is the fourth session, judging from the context of the log. Lemme know if this is correct.

Unfortunately my notes of this session are incomplete at best as there was a lot of dialogue going on and I didn't have time to write it all down. Most of my notes from the earlier parts of the session are rather blank so I'm working off of memory for the most part. I'll try to do my best to remember what everyone said, but aside from myself and certain memorable things said by everyone else I don't have word for word what was said and or done. I'll use short out of game (OOG) notes where I know that something happened but I don't remember the exact way it happened. So I apologize in advance if I have you saying or doing something that you didn't do or say. If you find a mistake or have a game log that you'd be willing to send me, toss me a PM and I'll do my best to make the appropriate changes asap.

" " are used for normal speaking
( ) are used for mindlink communication
---

Hustling through a back alleyway, I pick up my pace as I make my way back to the battlefront. Man oh man what a day this has been so far. First assassins who turn out to be Shadow Templar are attacking the Senator, then Shin dies, and then Klavion somehow manages to bring Shin back. Glancing up at the sun I sigh as it isn't even noon yet. I can only hope that Osmium is in better shape than Shin was in after taking care of the re-enforcements. With Klavion at least in a more consious state our mindlink has been restored to its former state. Osmium did seem a bit smug over it, mentioning something about swatting a few pesky flies. Damn if that Illryian doesn't just confuse me. First he has no powers and can't even take down a lone agent. Then he is somehow godly and is capable of taking out two teams with no major injuries to complain about, that or he's trying to save face and not telling us about how badly he was injured. Seeing the end of the alley nearing, I slow my pace and do my best to fit in with normal society as I exit back onto the main street.

Taking a quick look around to confirm my position, I figure I'm about another minute away from Osmium. Still a bit antsy about this whole ordeal I focus my thoughts and ask Osmium a quick question through the mindlink.

Lucia: (Hey Osmium, I'm about a minute away. How are things going with the Senator?)

Osmium gives me one of his typical dry replies about how things have been real quiet ever since he took care of those annoyances that showed up earlier.

Part of me is relieved to hear that things are quiet, but part of me is also certain that things are far from over. I'm just worried that the next group we meet will be better prepared to handle our ragtag group of bodyguards. Hopefully who ever that assassin was he didn't have enough time to report back our faces. Otherwise this is going to get real ugly, real fast.

Arriving back on the scene, it is indeed as quiet as Osmium said it was. Well, thank God for small favors. As I'm getting there, I notice two of the Senator's guards heading off to investigate some alley. I think that its odd at first, but don't give it more than a seconds thought as I resume my watch over the surroundings and go back to looking for hints about Nalivir's magic.

(OOG: At some point Shin rejoined us and Osmium had his mind controlled guards delay the Senator. This was discussed over the mindlink but I wasn't able to write down when it happened in my notes. The rest of the watch at this point though goes on without any major incident. Well except for some gopher coming to see what was taking the Senator so long. He was nearly assaulted by the guards at sword point.)

Finally after what seems like an eternity, the Senator starts closing shop and packing up. Two of her guards appear to be extremely edgy though. They nearly took the head off of some poor messenger boy who came to talk to the Senator about something. Thinking back, both of them got real jumpy after they came back from that alley. Glancing over at the alley, I wonder what the hell happened over there?

All finished packing up, we all head over to the second stop, the academy. Falling a bit behind the rest of the tag alongs, I do my best to remain inconspicuous. Trusting that both Shin and Osmium will be able to manage keeping a low profile, I pay them little mind and instead continue my watch for other potential assassins, or those five rogue individuals we were warned about. Fortunately little occurs en route to the academy.

Arriving at the academy, the place is packed full of now annoyed people who are curious where the Senator is. The courtyard is filled with people eager to hear the Senator's speech and it seems that they have all been waiting for quite some time now. Sparing a moment to take another quick scan of the area, it seems that little has changed since my previous visit, minus the sudden increase in people. So far no signs of any assassins and with any luck things will stay that way.

Senator Nalivir begins her speech, and to her credit it isn't that bad of a speech. A lot of lofty ideas and goals, but I guess you can't help but admire her naive attitude towards rebuilding Valdis. If it only was that easy... is the thought that runs through my mind as I listen to her speech. Glancing around occasionally to make sure that no unwelcome visitors have arrived, I spot something out of the corner of my eye. A lone figure that wasn't there last time I looked who seemed a bit out of place.

Standing near the back, away from the crowd was a lone individual, I guess there wasn't all that much that was special about him. He had short flowing silver hair, cobalt tattoos covered his skin... Thats when it hit me, this was the unknown Illryian that we were supposed to look out for.

Although we were told very little about our potential targets, at present he really didn't seem to pose much of a danger to anyone. Doing my best to remain discrete, I started channeling some mana to my eyes and activate a detection spell. Expecting the typical darkmoon aura that all Illryians carry, I had my second big surprise of the day when I noticed that our unknown friend here had probably the most unique magical aura that I have ever seen, that probably anyone has ever seen. Now I'm not just talking about your occasional odd ball aura, but this guy's shit was really out there. His aura contained a perfect mix of both immaculate and darkmoon air mana, something that has to this point only been theorized and even then this was one of those rogue theories that nobody really payed any attention too. I remember reading the theories when I was in school, but never in my life did I ever think that I'd actually see someone work it out without blowing them self up. My interest definitely piqued, I decide that now might be a good time to inform the rest of my group that I've spotted one of our targets.

Lucia: (Well well, you'll never guess who I just spotted.)

Klavion: (Who?)

Lucia: (I'm not too sure about his name, but he's got cobalt tattoos and silver hair. Don't suppose that ring any bells now does it?)

Klavion: (The Illryian!.. What is he doing?)

Lucia: (Nothing much at the moment, he's just listening to the Senator's speech like everyone else... Oh, did I happen to mention that our friend here is something of an anomaly?)

Klavion: (Oh? How so?)

Lucia: (Oh, nothing much. His aura just happens to reflect a perfect mix of darkmoon and immaculate air mana. It's really quite fascinating.)

Klavion: (But... Thats impossible?)

Lucia: (Yeah I know, but I remember reading about some theories about how it might be possible to create such a phenomenon... But last I heard this stuff was barely past the conceptual stage...)

As I'm relaying this information to Klavion, the Illryian seems to notice something and starts looking over in my direction.

I mutter a curse under my breath and try to casually look away, trying very hard not to draw anymore attention to myself than I already might have. I wait a couple of seconds before looking back, it seems that he didn't notice that it was me... That or he doesn't care that it was me. I wonder what tipped him off? What is this guy? Psychic? Satisfied that he hasn't picked me out, I continue with my report.

Lucia: (Shit, I think he might have spotted me...)

I think about what just happened a little more. Trying to figure what might have given me away. The only things that I did different was check his aura and report in. I'm pretty sure that he didn't notice me when I was doing my magic scan, it was almost as if he started to notice me when I started talking about him over the mindlink... That might be it actually. If I'm not mistaken Klavion's mindlink probably draws from the air element. Given how screwy and powerful this guy's aura is it might be possible for him to detect maybe even listen in on our link because of the common element. A little crazy, but its the best theory I have at the moment.

Lucia: (Hmm... Careful what you guys say over this link, I think that he might be able to detect it.)

I look away for a second while I continue to try and figure out what this guy might be up too. At least it doesn't seem like he has any hostile intentions. Aside from his fucked up aura I didn't notice any other dangerous magic on him. Glancing back once again I notice to my surprise that he seems to have disappeared completely. Getting that sinking feeling once again, I sadly turn back to the mindlink and report my latest mistake.

Lucia: (Err... I lost him. Looks like he disappeared.)

At this point all three of us are keeping our eyes and ears open trying to find the disappearing Illryian. Shin, finally starting to pull his weight must have noticed something because he's the first to respond with anything useful.

Shin: (I heard something on the roof.)

Looking around for a big dumb Val, it isn't that hard to spot Shin even in this crowd. It's a hell of a lot easier than trying to find that damned Illryian, though you would think that those tattoo face freaks wouldn't be too hard to spot either. Glancing up at the roof above Shin, I see a familiar cloaked figure jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

Lucia: (I see him, he's on the roof.)

I track him as he makes his way around the courtyard following a circle like pattern. It occurs to me that our mysterious friend is keeping approximately the same distance from the Senator as he previously was. This new information sets off warning bells in my head as it means that is the limit of his range, either hearing or perhaps sniping. After moving almost a full half circle from his previous position, the Illryian drops down into the alley and I lose sight of him.

Lucia: (I lost him again, he dropped down into an alley. Do you want me to pursue?)

Klavion: (Hmm... Follow him, but keep close to the Senator.)

Lucia: (Got it. Osmium, Shin, keep an eye on the Senator. I'll go after him.)

Shin: (Want me to come along?)

Lucia: (No, keep an eye on the Senator. I've got this.)

Shin: (Ok.)

I suppose that part of me is slightly worried about Shin's current condition. After all, the guy was dead not 30 minutes ago. The last thing I need is for him to get to try and go all hero on me and get himself killed again. No, I can handle this. Of course I would by lying if I didn't say that I didn't have an ulterior motive. I just really wanted to meet the guy who managed to do the impossible. Taking two polar opposites and combining them, now thats a magical feat. Now all thats left is to find him and get him to tell me how he did it.

I start making my way through the crowd, doing my best not to stand out while moving as fast as possible. I don't want him to get too much of a lead on me otherwise I'll never be able to find him, but as I near the alley there he is. Sitting just barely inside of the alley still listening to the Senator prattle on about her righteous mission to fix Valdis as if he didn't have a care in the world. Regaining visual contact, I stop and go back to pretending to listen to the Senator's speech. Well I do more than pretend, I am listening but I'm keeping an eye on the disappearing Illryian. After a minute or so, I decide that I should probably let the others know whats going on.

Lucia: (Found him. He's apparently still here listening to the Senator... Do you want me to make contact with him?)

Klavion sounds extremely torn about what he wants me to do. He sighs and makes a lot of noise before giving me a response.

Klavion: (This is a rare opportunity... I... )

Honestly at this point I really don't give a damn what Klavion wants me to do and I start heading over to the Illryian. I think that as I'm heading over Klavion finally decided that I should make contact but since I'm already heading over I just respond with an affirmative. Man, how indecisive can this guy get. Who the hell wouldn't want to meet the man who is at the center of one of the greatest breakthroughs in magical history. As I'm heading over to meet him, I guess that he noticed me as I hear an unfamiliar voice in my head.

Voice: (I was wondering when you would come over here.)

Caught with my hand in the cookie jar, I can't help but just smile. I try thinking back to him and see if I get any reaction, but either he can't hear my thoughts or he just doesn't care to respond. Oh well, have it your way. I close the rest of the distance and stop in front of the alley, still smiling.

Lucia: "I see you noticed me. I wonder when that happened."

(OOG: From here on I don't remember exactly how the conversation played out. And unfortunately what few notes I took were useless. So here is a condensed overview of what was discussed in hopefully the right order.)

Doing my best to remain calm, project a friendly atmosphere, and not let my mouth get the better of me I begin to have a pleasant conversation with our unknown friend. First we talk about our little game of cat and mouse. I make an comment about his unusual magical aura, ask him how that happened. He just smiles and says that it was an accident that happened some time ago and that he would rather not discuss it. Hearing this disappointed me greatly as it probably meant that he has no idea how he was able to acquire his aura nor how one might replicate it. I ask him his intentions and he politely responds that he was just here to listen to the Senator. When I asked him what he thought of her speech he said that he admired her ideas. I commented that she had a rather small and naive understanding of Valdis. My friend countered saying that while that might be true, it was refreshing to see someone trying to make a difference. He mentioned that Valdis has changed since he was last here, with many different factions. Hearing this, I asked him if he was from Valdis, he confirmed that for a time he used to live here and attend the magic college, though that seemed like so long ago.

Curious, I asked him if Valdis has changed much since he was last here. He laughed and said that he had only been away for a few years. This answer surprised me, doing some quick math it appears that my friend was barely older than I was... Or maybe I might be older than him? This news crushed what little hope I had left about learning about his unique aura and how he came to acquire it. If it was the result of an accident and he was barely older than I was then he would either have to be even smarter than I am, fat chance of that, or he has no fucking clue on how to replicate the experiment that gave him his powers. Oh well, once again I hit a dead end. The only bright light out of any of this was the knowledge that it was possible. Oh well, back to business.

Feeling slightly more comfortable talking to him, I ask him his opinion about the Twilight Watch. He says that they are a group trying to do good, but he doesn't know much more than that. At this point I slip up and accidentally mention that Duragar Aetherbane is the leader of the Twilight Watch. This sure got his attention as he thought about it for a few seconds before nodding saying that it made sense. Inwardly I'm kicking myself for letting that slip, but I just shrug it off, nothing to do now but live with it. I quickly change the subject mentioning that not everyone believes in what the Senator is preaching. He inquires as to what I mean and I make a vague reference to the previous assassination attempt on the Senator's life. My friend seems very surprised at this revelation and asks for more details. I do my best to remain vague, trying to gauge his response to see if I can figure out whose side he's on. In the end it seems as if he really is just another unusual do gooder.

By this time the Senator has finished her speech and is preparing to move on to the next location. Seeing that our time is up, I introduce myself to my new friend and learn that his name is Tirvan Palomides. We agree to a temporary alliance to protect the Senator from any further harm that may or may not occur during the rest of her tour. That said, we turn to follow the Senator to her next location.

After separating from Tirvan, I get back on the mindlink and start filling in everyone else with whats happened.

Lucia: (Well, that went well.)

Klavion: (What did you learn?)

Lucia: (Well, I learned that he's an Illryian covered in cobalt tattoos with silver hair. Nice guy too.)

Klavion: (Thats it? You didn't find out anything else? A name of some sort?)

Lucia: (Hahaha. I'm just yankin ya. He says his name is Tirvan Palomides. Ring any bells?)

Klavion: (No... I don't believe so.)

Lucia: (He says that he used to attend the magic school a few years back.)

Klavion: (The Academy is a prestigious magic college. Many successful mages attend it every year.)

Lucia: (Right, maybe in this backwater city...)

Klavion: (What was that?)

Lucia: (Nothing... Anyways he mentioned something about a magic experiment gone bad about the same time he was attending the college. You remember hearing anything about that?)

Klavion: (... Hmm, that does sound familiar. I remember a friend of mine telling me about an incident where a student took in demonic power and went out of control. They were able to subdue him though... Actually I remember him saying that it was a lot easier than they thought it would be.)

Lucia: (Well you might wanna look into that chief. Might give you some clues as to who our friend really is.)

Klavion: (Yes, I'll have to go have a talk with my old friend some time.)

(OOG: I don't remember the name of her 3rd location. We get stopped by construction workers and I forget if that was part of her schedule or not. I think it is so I'm going with that.)

That said, the Senator and her honor guard are on the move to the third location. I fall back into line with the rest of her admirers and do my best to look inconspicuous. I suppose that its a little harder now that her guards seem to be almost as certain as I am that something is wrong. The same pair seem completely paranoid. I silently curse whatever spooked them as its starting to make my job that much harder.

As we're nearing the next stop on our tour the Senator is approached by a bunch of construction workers. Making a quick scan, I check the miners for weapons, more importantly magical weapons. Thankfully my scan turns up nothing and the two groups begin talking about how to proceed with the reconstruction of Valdis's less fortunate areas. The tour halted, I start checking my surroundings to try and find the rest of my team as well as my new ally. Shin isn't that hard to spot as usual, it takes me a bit longer to find Osmium, but I think I see him over in the shadows. Tirvan is the hardest to find once again up on the rooftops, but I see him too. Tirvan sends me a telepathic message about the miners and I just wave to him smiling and nodding. I hope that he got the message that they were ok.

I'm about to go back to my lax duty of lookout when something else catches my eye. Noticing a familiar distortion of the air similar to the previous assassin's cloaking spell some distance away, once again warning bells go off in my head. Unaware of how long they've been staked out at their present location I can't afford to waste too much time and play it slow.

Lucia: (Hey guys. I think I just spotted another assassination team.)

I suppose that I did see this coming as the next thing I hear in my head is Tirvan's voice.

Tirvan: (Really? Where?)

I wait for a second to see if anyone else heard my new friend's response. Seeing as how no one was complaining about an unfamiliar voice on our link I deduce that he's using a single target version of telepathy. I look back up at him and just grin.

Lucia: (So you can hear this. Well, I guess that makes this a whole lot easier.)

Tirvan just smiles back at this point, it almost looks like he's laughing.

Catching Shin and Osmium's attention I point out the direction to the others.

Lucia: (They're over in that direction, a couple buildings away.)

I barely finish my sentence before Tirvan starts making a beeline for the assassins. Now this I didn't expect and I just stand there stunned for a moment before quickly regaining my composure.

Lucia: (Shit! Tirvan's making a beeline for them. Shin, Osmium watch the Senator. I'm going after him.)

Shin: (I'm coming too, Osmium watch the Senator.)

Osmium: (... I guess I'll watch the Senator.)

Knowing that time is now of the essence, I don't have time to argue with Shin and just hope that the idiot learned his lesson and doesn't go charging in by his lonesome. Picking up my pace, I duck out of sight into a nearby alley and quickly start creating my wings, "With these flames I craft, a pair of wings that will reach the highest heavens." With my wings in hand so to speak I quickly fly up above the buildings and then start going after Tirvan. As I'm in pursuit I notice Shin following on the ground. Unfortunately it looks as if he's having some trouble keeping up and is slowly falling behind. Oh well, probably better this way since he won't be an obvious target from the get go... Well, at least I hope not.

I try not to think too much about the Val and his sometimes questionable actions, instead focusing my attention on trying to keep low and minimize my profile as I try and catch up to Tirvan. It seems that the Illryian is a bit faster than I am, not too surprising since his element emphasizes mobility. But, never the less I am still intrigued. I start thinking that maybe it might not be such a bad idea to let Tirvan make the first move and see how things play out. That should give me a better idea of whose side he's on and just what he's capable of. Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea. I grin in anticipation as I just imagine what Tirvan might be capable of. Seeing him stop in front of the cloaked assassins, my grin widens as I silently think to myself, now show me what a darkmoon immaculate hybrid is capable of.

[Pikachu]

Continued from before, still told by Lucia's viewpoint. As noted previously working off of bad notes. Any help to fill in the blanks is appreciated. PM me with any corrections to your actions/speaking. Also, when sending changes try to be as specific as possible and describe your actions or type out what you want to say so I have a better idea of how I should correct it. The more detailed the better.

" " are used for normal speaking
( ) are used for mindlink communication
' ' are used for personal thoughts occasionally (I'm not consistant with this one)

All spells in italics are incanted in Faerihalirianthyrianial

---

While I'm trying to catch up to Tirvan, I decide to make good use of my time and summon my armor, "Forged through the sacred crimson flame, come to me my crimson battle armor." I momentarily become bathed in fire and change from a flying fireball back into myself now clad in my armor. I sigh as I continue to try and catch up to Tirvan mentally hoping that nobody saw that, muttering under my breath, 'I really hate having to keep a low profile like this.' A few moments later I finally catch up to Tirvan and land a short distance behind him. His eyes focused on the now obvious illusion spell he declares in a loud and commanding voice.

Tirvan: "I am Tirvan Palomides of the Order of the Immaculate Storm. Identify yourself."

Hearing his self introduction, I'm suddenly curious as to the story behind this Order of the Immaculate Storm. Maybe they have something to do with his unusual powers. Come to think of it, Tirvan does have an unusual emblem on his back. Looks like an eye in the center of a hurricane surrounded by strange runes. I couldn't make heads or tails of it but I begin to wonder what significance it might have. Hmm, come to think of it I think I've heard of that Order of the Immaculate Storm somewhere before, I just can't quite place it.

While I'm musing over these trivial facts, our assassin friends seem to be rather surprised that they were first discovered and then confronted in such a manner. I guess I'm a bit surprised myself at how Tirvan decided on using the direct approach. What doesn't surprise me is the assassin's response as the shooter quickly takes aim and fires a round at Tirvan.

Just as I would expect from one as unusual as Tirvan, even his dodge looks a bit off. I'm not sure if he really can predict the future or what not, but he seems to see the bullet coming and jerks his head to the side quickly to dodge the bullet. As he dodges, I can make out some kind of motion trail or after image mimicking his movements, maybe some kind of reflex enhancer or time alteration spell. Luckily for Tirvan he was able to dodge the bullet as it tears through whatever magical defenses he had erected as it goes flying through his after image. Sadly I don't have time to think about what I've just witnessed as Tirvan goes into full battle mode after being fired upon.

Incanting in what I think is Eodai, I watch as Tirvan creates a matched pair of wispy psionic blades. Hearing his incantation seems to jog my memory as I recall hearing about the Order of the Immaculate Storm's existence during the Millennium War. Something about a sect of Eodai air elementalists. Sadly this does nothing but bring up even more questions as to who Tirvan is and how he came to be. My train of thought barely gets any further before Tirvan continues to incant what looks like a booster spell. The next thing I know his swords are turning from a wispy clear to a violent purple shade as now potent darkmoon energies flow up and down the blade. One beautiful slash later and assassin number one is dead on the floor, eviscerated.

As beautiful as that display just was, all it got us was one dead assassin and a small glimpse of Tirvan's abilities. As much as I would like to leave the other one to him as well, I can't risk the possibility that this team might be a decoy to draw us away from the Senator while a second team moves in for the kill. Unfortunately dead men can't talk and I don't have any spells that will allow me to interrogate the dead... yet at least.

Lucia: (Hey Osmium, how are things going with the senator? Is everything still quiet?)

Osmium: (Nothing appears to be amiss at the moment.)

Klavion: (Whats the situation?)

Lucia: (We just encountered another assassination team, but this team might be a decoy to draw us out and away from the Senator. So keep your eyes open.)

Osmium: (I'll stay on guard.)

Satisfied that the senator is alright, I decide that it might be a good idea to take another prisoner. After all, the more information we can rip out of these guys the better. Deciding that if I can just tie him down, Shin should be able to knock him out, "I summon the chains of hades, weights of grief, come now and bind my enemies in your unbreakable grasp." Suddenly the ground around our other assassin begins to shake as seven chains burst out from the ground and instantly begin to entangle the assassin. Pinning both of his arms and anchoring him where he stands. Nodding approvingly of my work, I turn to Shin.

Lucia: "Shin don't kill him, I want him alive."

Seeing my Val companion struggling with his typical battle fury I further add.

Lucia: "If you kill him I'm going to kick your ass."

(OOG: At this point the assassin made some comment about executing a plan of some sort but I think the only person who heard was Shin with his uber hearing. I sure didn't hear it.)

It looks like Shin managed to understand what I was saying through his fury as it looked like he pulled his punch. Of course when dealing with a Val warrior's strength perhaps I should have been a bit more specific as to how I wanted Shin to subdue the assassin because my threat didn't stop Shin from ramming his fist right into the poor assassin's face. Oh yeah, one broken nose later and our assassin is off to dreamland. He definitely won't be answering any questions anytime soon.

Lucia: (Well, so much for that team. Looks like we got things under control over here.)

I just sigh as Shin knocks out my information source and just give him an angry look. Too annoyed to do much more, I just look at the two casualties and remind myself that at least nobody died this time... Wait, pair of assassins? The previous assassination attempt only had one templar when I arrived on the scene. Does that mean that Shin took care of him or that he got away? Argh! Another loose end that I'll probably have to take care of at some point. I'm about to ask Shin what happened at the first location when Tirvan suddenly gets all jumpy and starts dashing towards Shin screaming.

Tirvan: "Get down!"

Trusting my new friend's advice, I drop to the ground. Tirvan follows my lead, although probably not in the way he expected. In his effort to tackle Shin and get him out of harm's way, I watch as he instead comically bounces off of Shin and falls flat on his ass as three bullets go whizzing by Shin's massive form. Shin is looking rather confused as to why Tirvan just ran into him and Tirvan is just looking up at Shin thinking, 'Oww...' Realizing the danger we're in, Shin follows suit and drops down to minimize his profile.

Lucia: (Dammit! We've been suckered.)

Klavion: (Whats going on now?)

Lucia: (After we took out that one team, a bunch of other teams just opened fire on us.)

Tirvan: "What do you know about these assassins?"

Lucia: "Well, not a whole lot. As you've seen they use long range rifles to snipe at their targets from a distance. I had a chance to take a look at one of these guns earlier and it seems as if the bullets have enchantments that allow them to pierce magical defenses."

Tirvan: "So I've noticed."

Lucia: "Their other weapon is one of these."

I take out the spirit dagger that I confiscated from the other assassin and hand it to Tirvan. He takes it and begins examining it.

Tirvan: "... I see."

Lucia: "Yeah, if you can't tell it has heavy spirit magic concentrated in the blade. It pretty much allows it to ignore most conventional defenses."

Tirvan nods slowly as he seems to understand how dangerous our opponents weapons are and then hands the dagger back to me.

Lucia: "Anyways, lemme see if I can spot our new friends."

Slowly getting up, I quickly scan my surroundings looking for the other teams that just ambushed us. Dammit, I really need to develop a better detection spell for these invisible freaks. It takes me some time, but I manage to catch a glimpse of where the other three teams are located. Satisfied that I've located these new threats I lie back down and fill the others in.

Lucia: "I've spotted three other groups. They're a couple hundred feet away in these directions."

I make the appropriate gestures to Shin and Tirvan trying to point them out. Both Shin and Tirvan slowly peek up to try and locate them as well. A second later they lie back down. Shin makes some stupid suggestion on how we could try and use him for cover during our approach and I promptly ignore him. Maybe getting killed just once wasn't enough to show him that he's not invincible. I'm thinking about telling him what an idiot he is but Tirvan interrupts me.

Tirvan: "I know where they are approximately, but I can't pinpoint them."

Lucia: "You think that you could take them if I pointed them out to you?"

Tirvan: "Easily, but my problem is finding them."

Lucia: "No problem. Gimme a second."

Smiling I move to a half crouched position and pick out one of the teams at random. Hmm, I think I'll start with the one on my right. Locking onto my target, I draw a bead and steady my aim. Slowly, I begin incanting a spell, "I summon the purple flames, mischievous child of fire to come forth and do my bidding." A purple flame appears in my left palm and I slowly adjust the flow of mana, weaving subtle enchantments into the spell. Satisfied, I draw my arm back and then hurl the flame at my target. A bolt of purple fire goes flying towards the assassin and impacts him dead center, lighting him up like a Christmas tree. Grinning from ear to ear I look back at Tirvan.

Lucia: "Can you see him now?"

Tirvan grins as well.

Tirvan: "Yes, that will do quite nicely."

Tirvan gets to his feet and starts muttering another incantation in Eodai. This time it looks like he casted some sort of a mix between a haste and accelerated reflex spell. As soon as his spell completes, Tirvan just takes off after the target that I just lit on fire. If nothing else, that guy can really move when he wants too.

Not wanting to be left out, Shin just suddenly stands up and is rewarded as several bullets come flying right at him, to his credit at least he guarded his head with his arms when he stood up. I suppose that Shin's skin is a lot tougher than it looks or I seriously overestimated the firepower of those rifles as the only bullet that hit him bounces harmlessly off of his skin. Feeling a little cocky, Shin makes a taunting gesture towards the sniper. I don't speak retard, but I think he was asking him if that was his best shot. I suppose that seeing his bullet bounce off of Shin coupled with Shin's obvious provocation must have made some sort of impact on the sniper because the previous steady stream of bullets seemed to die down.

While the snipers have their attention focused on Shin, Tirvan manages to close the remaining distance and once again brings his psionic sword to bear. This time taking a page out of Sicarius's book, Tirvan makes a horizontal slash and split the sniper's head in half in a wonderful display of blood and brain matter. Damn, I think to myself as the assassin's head slides off. I'm sure glad that he's on my side.

The now dead sniper's partner seeing his comrade's head get sliced in half seems a bit panicked even at this range. Unfortunately the other two teams are still concentrating their fire at both Shin and myself. Not wanting to drop back down and miss this incredible show, I summon some additional chains and interpose a barrier between myself and the group on my left, "I summon the chains of hades, weights of grief, come now and bind my foe in your unbreakable grasp." This time several chains burst out from the ground and interweave themselves together creating a chain wall between myself and the snipers. I figure that this should buy me some time, hopefully enough for Tirvan to take care of the remaining teams at the very least.

I guess that seeing Tirvan take that assassin's head off must have gotten Shin's Val blood pumping because the next thing I know the big guy is charging, or rather leaping after Tirvan obviously eager to enter the fray. While Shin might not be nearly as fast as Tirvan is, I know for a fact that the big guy hits like a truck. If Tirvan doesn't finish off these guys then Shin definitely will... If he can ever get to them in one piece that is.

One down and one to go as the old saying goes. Finished with his first target Tirvan turns his attention to his panicking partner. Adjusting his stance Tirvan makes a downward slash towards the second assassin, but narrowly misses as the assassin dodges out of the way. As he's rising to his feet, the assassin draws his dagger and attempts to slip the blade between Tirvan's ribs. For a second there I almost thought that he had succeeded too, until I saw the dagger bounce off of Tirvan's magical defenses. Smirking, I could tell even without seeing his face that this guy is definitely not having a very good day right now.

My mind is quickly snapped back to reality as the team to my left opens fire on my makeshift barrier. Flinching involuntarily, it isn't until I realize that my barrier held that I breathe a sigh of relief. Checking to see how much damage they were able to do, I'm surprised to see that last shot almost pierced my barrier. Perhaps I didn't underestimate these guns after all and make a mental note to keep the crimson moon on standby for the next volley.

The other sniper team opened fire on Shin, but they didn't have anymore luck than the previous team had with me. Once again bullets just bounce right off of Shin's arms and I can just imagine the baffled look on the shooters face. I know that I would be getting pretty scared if some guy was able to just take my hits without even flinching. Not even slowing down or acknowledging the bullets that just bounced off of him, Shin makes a powerful leap, winding up in mid-air, and comes crashing down fist first right in the second assassin's chest. To say that had to hurt would be a gross understatement as the second assassin goes flying from the impact, hitting the building across the alley, and then falling down into the alley and out of sight. Tirvan barely managed to get out of the way of the flying assassin and was nearly bowled over by that last attack. Needless to say Shin must have felt pretty damn good about himself because the next thing he does is turn towards the two remaining groups, flexes his muscles and then makes another taunting gesture. If those other teams weren't scared before, I'm pretty damn sure that they're pissing themselves right now. Hell, even I'm impressed by that last attack. I knew that Shin was strong, but I didn't know just how strong the big guy really was. Hmm, maybe I should be a little nicer to him in the future... Nah.

With the last of that team eliminated, I conjure another purple flame similar to the one I just used to light up another sniper group, "I summon the purple flame, mischievous child of fire to come forth and do my bidding." Not even bothering to take my time to aim, I just hurl the flame at the second group as soon as I'm finished casting it. The fire impacts the lead man of the second team and just like before acts like a giant 'Kill me' sign. Shortly after he's lit up, I hear a now familiar voice in my head.

Tirvan: (You are proving most invaluable.)

Lucia: (As are you.)

Both Tirvan and Shin are out of earshot range for me, but the two of them seem to talk about something and then suddenly stop their advancement on the second group. Taking a moment, Tirvan casts another spell that I can't quite make out. At this range it's difficult to determine the effects of his spell, but they become rather obvious as Tirvan grabs and picks up Shin before resuming their charge on the second group. Once again this Val just confuses the hell out of me. At the same time I suppose that my opinion of Tirvan dropped a couple of notches for listening to Shin's inane ideas in the first place. Still, Shin's stupidity does work out in my advantage as it forces Tirvan to show another one of his cards. A strength boosting spell strong enough that he can pick up an adult Val warrior and still run at full speed, who would of thunk it.

Before I can recover from this pair's questionable intelligence, the next thing I know Tirvan is launching Shin at the second group like a catapult. Once again the big blue guy is flying through the air and I don't know whether I am impressed at the duo's unusual thinking or depressed that this is rapidly becoming a familiar sight. It comes as no surprise when Shin lands off target and just beside the assassin instead of impacting them as I assume was their intention, I suppose that Tirvan doesn't get much practice tossing Vals around. Even off target, Shin is rather quick on the recovery leaping back to his feet and moving in for a devastating assault. As he's rising from the ground, Shin uses his momentum and fires off a powerful right uppercut at his first target. Connecting right under the poor guy's chin, the assassin is sent flying upward as Shin put his full strength behind this blow. I watch as the guy goes rocketing up into the sky, before coming crashing down on the roof. Oh yeah, he's dead.

Continuing his assault, Shin adjusts his weight and throws a downward hook at his second target. I guess Shin's aim was either a little off or the second guy was able to react a little better than his partner and gets hit in his right leg. Still, like his partner the second assassin goes crashing straight down into the ground, his body almost bounces off of the floor from the impact and I'm pretty sure that leg is now pretty close to useless, that is if that guy is even conscious after the shock of that last blow.

With only one group left, I pop out from behind my barrier and fire off another purple flame at the final group. Once again I hit the lead man clearly marking their position. Repeating their earlier combo, Tirvan picks up Shin and then throws him over at the third group. I suppose that when I look at it from a strictly tactical viewpoint it is an effective way to compensate for Shin's otherwise sluggish movement. Still, I think it looks ridiculous and can't believe that one of them even suggested it, or that the other is complying with the request.

Tirvan's aim still needs a little work and Shin ends up landing behind the third group. I see both of the assassin's figures blur as they rapidly spin around and aim their guns at Shin. Surprisingly neither of them open fire and the two of them seem to be scared shit less at this point. I guess I really can't blame them after seeing Shin and Tirvan just rip apart the other two groups, not to mention the other group that we took out before they opened fire on us. Shin, eager to continue the massacre begins walking towards the two assassins. I assume they both went bug eyed at this point as they both quickly drop their guns and raise their hands over their heads practically screaming.

Assassin A and B: "We surrender!"

[Pikachu]

From the mind of Lucia! Still looking for any help if anyone remembers something I forgot, or did wrong. PM and I'll change it as soon as I can. As always, please include a detailed description of what I should change something too.

" " are used for normal speaking
( ) are used for mindlink communication
' ' are used for personal thoughts occasionally (I'm not consistent with this one)

All spells in italics are incanted in Faerihalirianthyrianial

---

Hearing this, I quickly manifest my wings and fly over yelling at Shin as I fly.

Lucia: "Shin! Calm down! Don't touch them! Touch them and I'll kick your ass!"

I guess that Shin hears me and is able to overcome his battle fury as he noticeably starts calming as I land next to the two defeated assassins. Tirvan arrives just after I do and the three of us surround the pair. The first thing I do is I quickly search both of them for additional weapons and then disarm them. Tirvan quietly collects the duo's discarded rifles while Shin stands there with a threatening look on his face. Now unarmed, I remove both of their helmets which disengages their invisibility. Listening inside the helmet, I hear a familiar voice barking out requests for an update. Smirking I toss the helmets aside and then look back at our two prisoners.

Shin orders them to lie down on the ground, hands above their heads and they both comply. Looking over at me, Shin suggests that I interrogate them, mentioning that I might be better suited for the task. I grin as that's probably the first good idea he's had all day... Well maybe the second, but its a short list. Looking back down at the two, I know I have a lot of questions that I want to ask them, but the real question was how am I going to get them to answer me. I glance over at Tirvan, hmm, he probably wouldn't approve of me burning the information out of them so what am I to do now?

I think of a few interesting ideas, but I decide to start slow and start with the basics. Picking the guy on the left, I order him to stand up, slowly. He slowly rises to his feet, he really does look terrible, completely and utterly defeated, but something in his eyes tell me that he's not quite done yet, that he still has something to prove. After he's on his feet, I order him to put both his hands behind his back, after he complies I summon another set of chains to bind him in place. At first he struggles, a reflex action I assume, but is quick to submit and just stand there. As I'm examining him, trying to build an appropriate atmosphere to begin, Shin begins making threatening gestures towards the assassin. Cracking his knuckles, flexing his muscles, and smiling.

The assassin, who I'll refer to as Marty for now, Marty looks back at Shin, defiance in his eyes as he doesn't appear to scared of Shin at the moment. I guess he kinda got used to the idea that the Val could turn him into a human pretzel without even breaking a sweat. Gulping, Marty just stands there silently.

Pride, that was the feeling that I was getting from him earlier. The pride of a professional doing his job. I grin as recognize this emotion, oh yeah it's going to be fun breaking this one. Holding up a hand telling Shin to stop, I decide to take a stab at threatening this guy. Holding up my right hand, I snap my fingers and a small flame starts burning in the palm of my hand. Holding the flame up so Marty can get a good look at it I just smile.

Lucia: "I have some questions for you and I expect some answers. Now we can either do this the easy way, or we can do it my way."

Marty looks unfazed by this, he's obviously had some pretty good training for resisting interrogation and torture.

Marty: "I know I can't beat you, but you'll never make me talk."

I just continue to smile as I watch his pathetic attempt to put on a brave front. I can tell he's scared shit less and just praying to whatever god he believes in that he'll have a nice quick death. Enjoying this way more than I probably should, I continue.

Lucia: "Know this, there are agonies that I can inflict upon you that will have you begging for death. If you do not tell me what I want to know, do not think that you will get off with a simple death. No, yours will be a long and painful journey on your road to hell."

Marty seems a bit uncomfortable as I start describing what I will be doing to him, his eyes darting to the fire in my hand every now and then, but even if he is scared of what I'm saying, he seems to be resolute in his belief that he won't talk.

Marty: "Do what you will, but I won't talk."

I'm about to continue when I feel a hand on my shoulder. Judging from its size, I assume that its Tirvan. Man, I knew that this guy was going to get in my way, I just knew it. Oh well, I guess that its time for plan b. I extinguish the flame in my right hand and then hold up a finger asking Tirvan to hold on for just a moment. Changing my approach, I decide that its time to take the kid gloves off and slowly reach up and remove my sunglasses. Now staring Marty in the eye I continue.

Lucia: "Are you sure about that?"

Marty, now staring at my eyes seems to falter. His resolution seems to waver as he appears to recognize who I am. Seeing that I've almost broken him I start channeling some mana to my eyes and activate my Dragon's Eye. My usual crimson eyes change to a darker shade of crimson, my pupils change from a circular to an oval shape, and my whites turn yellow. Both eyes have a dull red glow surrounding them and radiate a powerful darkmoon aura. I just have the biggest shit eating grin on my face right now as this is probably the most fun I've had all day.

Lucia: "Are you sure you don't want to spare yourself the pain and just tell me what I want to know?"

If Marty was scared before, he's just shit his pants as it dawns on him just who I am. I see his jaw drop as he just stares at me, frozen with fear. Studdering, he silently mouths, 'C.. Ca.. Catastrophe of Dawn.' before returning to his previous scared shit less expression.

Realizing that I now have him exactly where I want him, I just smile and continue.

Lucia: "I see that we understand each other. Now, as my friend was saying. Who are you working for?"

Marty's voice is quivering as he tries to speak, he's at the point where he's almost too scared to talk, but he's probably even more scared of what might happen if he doesn't tell me something.

Marty: "P..Pl.. Please believe me when I say that I have absolutely no idea what so ever of who I am working for..."

I frown as I hear this, obviously unhappy with what he just said.

Lucia: "Ok... I believe you. How are you communicating with your boss?"

Assassin B, who I will refer to as Bob, completely oblivious to everything that I'm currently subjecting Marty too starts to get up before realizing that might be a bad idea and instead starts saying.

Bob: "Don't tell them an..."

Bob is interrupted as Marty just starts spilling his guts about everything he knows. Bob is obviously surprised and just falls back to the ground in a slump muttering to himself about what a wuss Marty is.

(OOG: Ok, I can't remember exactly how 'Marty' responded to my questions. I also remember that while I did get an answer from him, Chip didn't actually have an answer for us in game for some of the questions because he didn't have the answer at the time. So parts of this will be blank until I can fill it in. Also, I forgot what I asked him in game, so if anyone remembers a PM would be much appreciated. Also props to Chip for Marty's responses which I have copied and pasted because they were just that damn good. )

Marty: "We received our orders in a sealed envelope at <location>. We were supposed to report back <using this method> after we completed our mission."

Lucia: "So what was your mission?"

Marty: "Our... Our Primary Mission was to eliminate the Senator... but we were also told to prioritize eliminating any opposition above... above the assassination of Senator Nalivir."

Hmm, interesting I think to myself. As we assumed, they are after the senator, but it seems as if she's not their primary objective... Its as if they're just using her to draw us out into the open so they can eliminate us instead. An interesting agenda. But why the senator? Did they know that we would be keeping an eye on her? Is she in on this plot? What if we failed to protect her? The wheels are turning, but I put those thoughts aside for now and focus on the task at hand.

Lucia: "How many teams are there?"

Marty: "... ... W-we have a total of t... twelve teams on this mission. ... If our reports are correct... you dispatched teams one through three earlier today, and we... were teams four through seven. Teams eight through twelve - like our force - were given orders to ensure that they could cover one another, in the event that the enemy came upon us. If they do not withdraw at this point, it is likely they will all be together."

Well thats good to hear. Just five more of these dinks, and two commanding officers to deal with and we're home free... I hope.

Lucia: "Who is the voice directing you?"

Marty: ".... Our squadron Leader, Owyn Falvain, through or farseer, Kelborn Ignacious. Kelborn is the squad's Air Elementalist, and the focus through which our etherlink functions."

Yes! A name that I can use. Bonus! Two names I can use. Hmm, now to find out where they're hiding.

Lucia: "Where is your base of operation located? Both for this mission and your typical base."

Marty: "Our Current meeting point is on the top floor of Saint Yves' Tavern, in the Cypress Prefecture. You should know as well as I that my base is within the walls of the Valdis Keep."

His base is within the walls of Valdis Keep, well better check just to make sure.

Lucia: "So you are Shadow Templar then?"

Marty: "... Yes. I'm surprised that you recognize us. Only a former high ranking military official would have even heard of us."

I smile, this is very interesting indeed. While we had suspected that these guys were Shadow Templar, now that we have confirmed that fact it really does narrow the list of people who ordered this operation. Well, while we're on the subject, might as well learn as much about this organization as I can. After all, it isn't everyday that I find such an understanding and cooperative fool.

Lucia: "Who is the person that trained you? Where were you trained? What is your selection criteria for potential recruits?"

Marty: "We were trained by Lady Astra, one of the hero Duragar's disciples before he... departed from military service. Our base of operations is our training ground. Potential Shadow Templar are selected and tested from the ranks of the Valdis military, primarily soldiers and agents who display a knack for subtlety and magitek weapons."

Hmm, another name. This guy is just an information goldmine. Jackpot cha-ching cha-ching!

Lucia: "What is your name and what do you do?"

Marty: "... I am Agent Winston Greystone. In case it isn't completely obvious, I'm an assassin for the government. We are paid well to both to kill people and keep quiet about it, so I really don't need any other profession. ...Frankly, I find this target to be rather unusual. One would think our talents would be better spent hunting rebels... like... um... yourselves."

I just keep smiling. At least he's honest, and just a bit gutsy to give a response such as that. Lucky for him I'm in a good mood right now since he's spilling his guts and giving me all the right answers to questions that I know nobody wants me to know about.

Lucia: "Rebels such as us hmm? What do you know about us? Are the remaining teams aware of our identities?"

Winston: "We believe you are members of the Twilight Watch, but we have not identified you personally, or confirmed our suspicions as fact."

Well thats a relief. Good to know that they don't know our faces and we should be able to continue this operation as he have. I guess they were either too busy or too stupid to report back what we looked like. A bit sloppy if you ask me, but its working out in my favor so who am I to complain. Satisfied that I know have a better idea of just who and what my opponents are, its time to see how their toys work.

Lucia: "How does your helmet's communication system work? Can this frequency be changed or blocked? Explain any ciphers or codes that your people might be using."

Winston: "Before we were aware of your eavesdropping on our line, we merely used Trader's Tongue - because the helmets are being used as foci, the link between us was completely secure, and because we're an internal organization, we do not require knowledge of other languages as a prerequisite for joining. However, we do utilize cyphers, and we switched to our primary cypher, Shadow Speak, when we realized that units two and three were taken out because the enemy was listening in on us. In Shadow Speak, we mirror important terms with their opposed letter in the Trader's Tongue alphabet. B turns to Y, C to X, and so on. Only Vowels and their reflections remain unchanged in this cypher, so A-Z, E-V, F-U, I-R and L-O remain unchanged, but all other letters are reversed."

Lucia: "What about these weapons? Explain how they work and who made them."

Winston: "The Nether Edge was forged by our master swordsmiths, utilizing steel that was infused with Spirit Mana. It is capable of ignoring corporeal armor. The Mage Sniper itself has only minor enhancements - the bullets are the primary focus. Each bullet is adamantine and thoroughly drained of all mana - so much so that it creates a pocket of null-mana around it, rendering purely magical defenses useless. The bullets are heavy, and require a specially made rifle to fire them accurately, thus the enhancements on the rifle. Air mana is utilized to create a sight and tracer for the bullet's trajectory, but most everything else is mechanical, otherwise it would stop functioning when the bullet came in contact with it. Our Etherlink helm nodes are a set of Air Elemental crystals that act as foci for telepathic communication. Each Shadow Templar squad consists of 24 agents, a squad leader, and one Far Seer, an air elementalist specializing in communication and transport. The crystals allow the Far Seer to focus on us, and act as our communications node. As long as the crystals are undamaged, the communications are undetectable, though anyone who puts on the helmet can hear the communication, because the link doesn't broadcast the identity of the wearer. Our Stealth Suits are meant for instant concealment for long range attacks. In an ideal situation, we will set up, and shoot the enemy from afar, where they won't be able to get a bead on us. As you probably saw before, the suits only provide usable concealment as long as we minimize our movement. In addition to this, the suits are fitted with reinforced, enchanted leather armor, to allow for some degree of protection."

I nod slowly, damn this is a lot of information to take in, but it sure is worth it. He just answered the last few questions I had on how their weapons actually work. Now all I need to do is think up an appropriate defense for each and this should be a lot easier. Satisfied that he's answers pretty much all the questions I can think of, I decide that its time to let him go. Deactivating my Dragon's Eye and replacing my shades, I thank Winston for his cooperation.

Lucia: "Thank you for your cooperation Winston, you have proved most useful... Oh, one more thing."

I tap my sunglasses as I continue.

Lucia: "This... stays between us ok? If you speak even a word of this to anyone, I will find you, and I will make you pay... So be good."

Marty just nods slowly, clearly intimidated by my threat. Smiling I turn back to the others and say.

Lucia: "Well, that was fun."

At this point both Shin and Tirvan both give me this very perplexed look of 'how the fuck did you do that?' Tirvan actually asks too.

Tirvan: "H.. How did you do that?"

(OOG: Presence attack their EGO/PRE + 30 ftw! I'm a scary mother fucker. )

Still smiling as I respond.

Lucia: "Let's just say that there are a few things that I don't like discussing either."

Tirvan slowly nods as he continues to stare at me with either a new respect, new fear, or maybe both. I can't tell which and quite frankly I don't care at the moment. My mind is busy processing all of this new information that I just acquired. Remembering 'Bob', I turn back to him and kneel down. Tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention.

Lucia: "Now you be a good boy too now. Otherwise you might suffer a fate far worse than what I had in mind for your partner."

Bob is obviously pissed at me for my comment and I can see him shaking as he is trying very hard to control himself and not get to his feet and attempt to kill me where I stand. I just laugh and pat him on the head and call him a good boy before summoning another set of chains, binding him to the ground. I guess now is as good a time as any to report in.

Lucia: (Hey Chief, got an update for ya.)

Klavion: (Go ahead.)

Lucia: (So yeah, we managed to subdue the other three teams. We even managed to take some prisoners. Two of them are even conscious this time around.)

Klavion: (Excellent work.)

Lucia: (Yeah... But the thing is we're gonna need you to send someone out to take them off of our hands.)

Klavion: (Hmm... That is a problem... I hesitate to trust these prisoners to anyone except experienced wayfayers such as yourself... Give me a minute...... Ok, I've dispatched a team to retrieve them, but it will take them some time to get there.)

Lucia: (Hey Osmium, hows the senator doing?)

Osmium: (She is still conversing with the workers... Why?)

Lucia: (Any idea if she's getting ready to move on? We're stuck here until back-up arrives to take these prisoners off of our hands.)

Osmium: (Give me a minute, I'll see what I can do... Ok, I believe that I can delay her until back-up arrives.)

Lucia: (Sweet... I'm not even going to ask how you did that. Just keep an eye on the little lady until we're done here.)

Osmium: (Will do.)

Looking back at Shin and Tirvan, I motion for us to move away so we can talk. Shin declines, saying that he will keep an eye on the prisoners. I nod and walk away from the prisoners with Tirvan so we can talk in private.

(OOG: Again my apologies for my shitty notes. Talked about a bunch of stuff with Tirvan but I only remember bits and pieces of it so I'm once again doing a brief overview of what was discussed. Most of this is from memory as my notes are non-existent at this point. Any and all help is appreciated.)

Once we're out of earshot range of the prisoners, we continue our conversation from earlier. I ask Tirvan what the Order of the Immaculate Storm is. He confirms my suspicions that they were indeed a sect of Eodai that utilize air mana. I try to ask him a little more, but he is reluctant to answer my questions. Deciding against pushing the issue, I change the subject and we start talking about he recent attack. I compliment him on his battle prowess and ask him if he's ever considered joining the Twilight Watch. I assured him that our leaders are very interested in recruiting him. He chuckled at this and declined my offer. He mentioned that similar to how I was influenced by an old friend to join the Watch, his friends are part of a different group that he is thinking about joining. I ask him what group that might be and he responds with 'Jewels of Heaven.' I search my memory trying to remember if I've heard of that group before. I do recall hearing about it, but they're supposedly some kind of a musical troupe, not a vigilante fighting force. Tirvan informs me that they are new and very covert. They are very active and trying to improve the city from the shadows.

Suddenly Tirvan seems to get a bit jumpy and then jumps off the side of the building and into the alley. A bit surprised by this sudden action, I look behind me only to find ninjas approaching our position. Thankfully I recognize these ninjas as fellow wayfayers and wave to them. Quickly checking with Klavion whether or not these were the people he sent to retrieve the prisoners, I get a positive response and then release the two conscious prisoners into their custody. I also mention the unconscious prisoner on the other rooftop and one ninja goes to retrieve him as well. As they're getting ready to leave, I smile at the two conscious ones just before they're put under hypnotic magic reminding them to be good and remember what we talked about. While two ninjas are busy hypnotizing the prisoners, another ninja, probably a medical ninja heals some more of Shin's previous injuries. With both of the prisoners now unconscious and Shin fully healed the ninjas are ready to head out. I hand over the assassins weapons and instruct them to collect the remaining weapons before sending the ninjas back to base. I smirk as I watch them hop away. Ninjas, what else does this crazy cult have hiding in its closets.

Walking back over to the alley where Tirvan disappeared, I just mention that its safe to come out now. Suddenly Tirvan reappears next to me and we resume our conversation. He tells me a little more about Jewels of Heaven and I try once again to recruit him into the Watch. He seems interested, yet reluctant. I figure that the day isn't over yet and I might get another chance later. I give him my contact information telling him to drop me a line if he's ever interested in joining, or he just wants to talk. I mention that I'm always willing to listen to his story of how he acquired his unique magical aura. He smiles and pockets the information. Our prisoners retrieved, we start heading back to rejoin Osmium and the senator.

On the way back, I'm just thinking of how awesome this day has turned out so far. I've seen Shin die for his stupidity, seen him come back proving that resurrection is possible, I was able to analyze Klavion's spell and determine its nature, I saw one of the greatest magical achievements of the century, met the guy, hopefully made a friend, got to screw with some guy's head, and now I've just acquired a ton of information on one of Valdis's most secret covert ops team. Oh yeah, this is a good day indeed. Now if only someone would give me some information about the Azure Flame this day would be perfect. Oh well, the day isn't over just yet. Who knows, it just might happen. Its just been one of those days...