Open [University] A Lesson in Investigation

[Ignard]

Unsure what to really make of the question, Ignard hesitates for a moment before speaking up, "Auristics should be able to give it away. Though if you are adept enough with it to detect past magical activity down to an individual, save for if they leave their res all over the place, you should be able to plainly tell if someone has recently killed as well as those sort of activities stick. Short of magical and using plain investigative skills people who practiced in secret like that would be more likely to be withdrawn and impersonal to others in order to achieve the sort of distance you are talking about. While they may have their occasional friends it would often be at arms length causing for a somewhat defined behavior to look for in any magic user."
With a breath he finishes. All those lessons on different magics hadn't done nothing. Auristics is not something he can personally do, though it may be something useful to learn. Every magic can be detected by it, and everything one does can be rubbed into auras. This would be a nice skill for the investigator's line of work. The applications are almost as promising as the seers.

[Salara Kel'Halavath]

Listening to the exchange between the Inspector and her fellow student, Salara sat quietly taking notes as this was all new insight to her. Assuming this knowledgeable fellow was magically inclined, she surreptitiously looks him over through her lashes finding nothing that says, ‘MAGIC USER.’ And although she suspected Fallon may have some divine blessings she also did not appear gifted. Liriope stood out as a gifted individual by the characteristics of her race – pale, delicate females with gills; but if anyone were not familiar with Konti, they would not recognize her abilities either. She made note to look into the other races and religions to see if there were any that could be more likely identified with this ‘Djed’ and ‘res’ beyond the Gnosis mark on their wrist. She wondered what it would take to learn Auristics and if it was something she could even learn. So, if she were to come across individuals in the moment of an encounter it didn’t appear likely that a magic user could be easily identified – until they used it - yet perhaps not even then depending on how intrusive the effect. As an inspector coming to a scene after the fact asking witnesses and locals of the area about behaviors would be good information. In fact, it sounded as if it would be useful as a local herself to become more aware of the people she encounters for potential of such defined behavior. But there was a point to be made so she interjects her next thought into the conversation, “Identifying magic users by certain characteristics would not be full-proof. I might be considered withdrawn at times and being new to this town I don’t have many friends yet I have no such skills. Caution would be necessary to avoid ‘witch hunts’ based on false accusation.” Common sense really but she worried that some of the lighter minds in this group might not catch on as easily. Having unfortunately already based some conclusions on their actions in this brief time Salara can’t help but slide a glance in the direction of two young men in particular who were eyeballing fellow students and passing sly winks to each other.

[Fallon]

He spoke of magic too intimately. That was the warning sign for Fallon. As the evidence of character built up in her head, her own experience and knowledge of the mages she had met over the years prickled in her mind. It would make sense, based upon the simple mannerisms, the words used and presented before the class. It did not go past her to notice the small glances of other students, the seeming shuffle in their seats. Hesitation? Worry? She could not blame them for the nerves being tickled.

"Auristics? Res?" she questioned. Of course, she knew what it was. Just as she knew what autistics was, but the maintaining of not being so knowledgeable of such subjects was advantageous at present. Though where he obtained such himself was beyond her, she suspected a teacher or tutor of some form. His presumptions did not help either, her own mind clicking and considering in thought. She raised an eyebrow before speaking.

"And where are you basing the logic of the personality of mages? I have met enough people in my time to have seen such traits in them, from the smallest child to the elderly... each are that way for their own reasons. Trauma, mistrust, protection, association, poor upbringing, or no upbringing at all. Even I, during my youngest of years, would have been described as near mute and reluctant to engage. Few friends? That could be for any reason, perhaps the individual is shy, or the elderly has had all their friends die, or perhaps they are new to a city. Maybe they even do not speak the common tongue as fluent as you and I. Does that then make all who display automatically worthy of suspicion?" There was the smallest snort then, "You may find yourself creating yet still a very long list of names."

Fallon gave a nod to the class, hand turning in gesture to Salara, "You are correct and such is true. By painting such with biased you begin to isolate those around you. By isolation you are cutting off potential ties for information. None of which are of any help during an investigation. Neigh, what you speak of is profiling and creating unnecessary bias. Something we will not fall into, for it solves nothing."

It was at that moment Fallon stopped, cleared her throat and moved on, "So, where were we?" She turned her head to the board then, "We have discussed weapons, divulged into the basis of magic, and now... Hair. We will incorporate not just hair in this but various related things. Fur, pieces of broken nail, strands of fabric being examples. So, what can they tell us?" She took up the chalk once more, turning it between her fingers, "Well, length of hair and colouration could help pick out a person it belongs to. Blonde, dark haired, so forth. Fur, the involvement of an animal somewhere in the scenario. It is all rather self explanatory."

[Ignard]

What they said was true, the traits Ignard addressed could come from a great number of sources, though if a person displayed traits such as these it may be more likely they would be hiding something like magic. It may be a better idea not to practice in the open as that would most likely just paint a target to unwanted people. However if he didn't how would he ever be hired for his abilities without people knowing of them? It's a matter for another time. As the topic of conversation drifts from magic back to hair Ignard continues to take notes, and intensely listens.

[Salara Kel'Halavath]

Hearing the Inspector's response and confirmation of her own input, Salara, scratched lines through a few statements within her notes and scribbled clarifications - especially the point that creating unnecessary bias by profiling through local suspicion or accusation might impede an investigation more than aid it. Still she would look into an ability to develop the skill for Auristics. Perhaps the university could provide training for it. The discussion was redirected towards hair and fur left as evidence. She had a most personal interest in the conversation but couldn't think of a question to ask that wouldn't make her feel like she was revealing her nature; which she just wasn't ready to do in front of the wily inspector yet. Quill at ready she waits for the next nugget of information.

[Fallon]

"Fabric can also leave strands, cotton within wounds, tears of fabric - they can also carry traces of blood upon them. Nails and claws can be broken, left in injuries would suggest some form of idea on the attack. Excess blood can also show what form of damage may have occurred to the offender. If they have any additional injuries, for example," Fallon pinched her brow, attempting to gather and calculate her thoughts. In honesty there was little she could further expand on with the subject, so she directed her words around to the next point in question, "Scents, smells and excrements. Perhaps not the most immediate thing that comes to mind when looking into a scene."

"Everything has a particular scent. Alcohol carries a linger that quickly grows stale, but is a sign perhaps of a more drunken induced scuffle," she licked her lips, pushing down the memories of decay and death in her attempts to look at it all from an analytical standpoint, "Bodies also begin to decay after a day or so, giving an idea of how long they may have been left there. The smell also has a tendencies to attract vermin and other pestilence. Other scents may also be available, the cunning may use more overpowering sources to hide evidence - pungent flowers and herbs for example." Fallon quickly made such notes upon the board in the form of single words, "Conversely, various scents can also suggest a different hiding of evidence. Cleaning up - removal of something or hiding that one ever went through there. Perhaps even in the opportunity to dispose of a body without bringing too much suspicion."

Pivoting on her heel then, the inspector turned to face the class, "When such arises, a keener eye has to be applied. Why so over powering? What is trying to be hidden? The culprit? In such cases it was probably a cover up of sorts, which could be used to suggest its someone who does not want to get caught - or cannot afford to. When the body disappears however, or turns up in an unusual place? It is times like that you need to begin questioning things more in-depth."

Exhaling Fallon looked to the class, hands grasped tightly behind her back. Her left however continued to twitch, turning the chalk between her fingers with thought, "I understand that was a lot to take in at once, so with such in mind is there any questions?"

[Salara Kel'Halavath]

Salara listened closely thinking there was a lot more about crime scene investigation than she'd ever really thought about. Certainly the scents of death would bring vermin and pestilence which would add their own types of evidence. Raising her hand, she waits for acknowledgement, "Insects like those fat buzzing blue bottle flies? They lay eggs that hatch to maggots something like just over a night when it's warm out." She thinks about the flies' shiny carapaces twinkling prettily, like a living blanket, crawling over the remains of animal kills she would come across in the woods. Then as ugly fat maggots burrowing steadily deeper devouring a carcass; sometimes in a matter of bells leaving only bones ringed by a circle of hair or feathers. They changed colors depending on what part of the body they fed from; and how the carcass sometimes almost seemed alive as it twitched nearly imperceptibly with each creepy crawl of the fly larva. Just enough to give the illusion of a pulse. The whole process was a natural progression in the wild... She hadn't considered them as possible evidence. The dark haired student shivered automatically lifting her feet from the floor surely at the idea of 'vermin.' The two jokers of the class had put their heads together and were miming pinching something between their finger tips. She overheard one of them say, '...can hear em Pop when you squeeze em.' The large man blocking her view of the tentative voice actually gagged. Someone behind her spoke up in a weak voice to ask, 'Are there different ways tell if there is more than one murderer?' At about the same time someone on the other side of her said, 'Can evidence at a scene tell you why a crime was committed?' Several classmates looked relieved at the re-direction of the lecture.

[Karyk]

 

Fallon

Skills
Teaching: 5
Subterfuge: 2
Lores
Unnamed Man in Class: Speaks Too Intimately and Openly of Magic
Miscellaneous

 

Notes and Comments

CS Checkmarked: ✓
CS Reviewed by Me: ✓
Previous Season Expenses Paid (Spring 517): ✓

 

Salara Kelhalavath

Skills
Investigation: 3
Writing: 1
Philosophy: 1
Lores
Investigation: Clues and Evidence = Conclusions
Investigation: Weapons Often Point to a Specific Type of Person
Investigation: Weapons are Left Behind for a Specific Reason
Investigation: Weapons Can Have Fingerprints, Blood, Identifying Marks
Investigation: Magic is Always a Possibility, but Not a High Probability
Investigation: The Divinely Blessed and Magical are Rare, but Not That Rare
Investigation: Bias Limits Your Scope
Investigation: Hair and Fur Have Many Distinct Characteristics
Investigation: Everything has a Smell
Miscellaneous

 

Notes and Comments

CS Checkmarked: ✓
CS Reviewed by Me: ✓
Previous Season Expenses Paid (Spring 517): ✓

 

Ignard

Grade is being withheld due to not having a Green Checkmark on the CS as well as your Ledger not being up to date with Seasonal Expenses. When you update these, send me a Private Message and I will give you your grade.

Since you're inactive it seems, should you return, and I'll contact an ST to have your CS reviewed. Once that is done, and ledger is updated, PM again and I'll do your grade for you.

 

Notes and Comments

CS Checkmarked: X
CS Reviewed by Me: ✓
Previous Season Expenses Paid (Spring 517): X

A fun lecture and a fine example of the Teaching skill in use, though it seemed as if the thread wrapped up a hair early? Anyways, well done!

Fallon please mark your post in Queue as graded or remove it.