Event Death in the Park

[Octarus]

Octarus chuckled nervously as he eyed the manner. Despite Dev'Ania's reassurances, he still felt overwhelmed by it all. Between Madiera talking to the manor, and other spectacular things from both women, this night was beyond unusual. To his surprise, the manor opened a window. Or the bird must have. The bird that was now sweeping forward to heed Madiera's call. Looking to Dev'Ania for something to latch onto, he found a steadying lack of shock on her features. That calmed him somewhat. His thoughts still strained to balance impossible uncertainties, but he was no stranger to surviving confusion. His birth was likely the most confusing event he would ever experience in this life after all. With a nod, he followed Dev'Ania at a jog. The effort was a lot more than he'd been expecting and before long he lagged a ways behind. Fortunately, the bird was not so grueling as to leave him behind. Octarus managed to keep up with the party, if only barely. By the time they reached the cottage, his shirt was plastered to his body, and his hair was matted mess on his head. He was catching his breath when the woman made her appearance. As he worked to control his breathing, he didn't notice the change in demeanor of Madeira or Dev'Ania. He did notice however when the woman used his name. She spoke in an unsettling way that was far from friendly. Scrutinizing her face, he couldn't place ever having met her before. How did she know his name then? Looking from woman to woman, he didn't get any indication of the significance of this woman till Madeira spoke. "Cult?" Octarus whispered under his breath, eyeing the blue eyed woman suspiciously. He didn't know who Ionu was, or even want to for that matter. The woman's demeanor was enough to tell him to keep his mouth shut. At least until he learned how she figured into all of this. Following the women into the cottage, he cast a cautious look over his shoulder before coming through the door. Inside, the sight was far from welcoming. Everything looked weathered giving the place a chill cast to it. Trying to ignore the general creepiness, he moved to stand beside Dev'Ania. Cautiously, he watched the woman with blue eyes as Madeira spoke. His eyebrows raised slightly at what was said, but he didn't say anything. This was Madeira's show now, and whatever she was planning, he would go along with. Despite her strange abilities, he trusted her a lot more than he did the blue eyed creature standing in front of them.

[Luminescence]

Sapphire gave no reaction upon Madeira's introduction of her to Octarus except to turn her icy gaze back on the spiritist, her expression unreadable as the trio made their way inside. She waited patiently for Madeira to begin speaking, watching as the gears in the blonde woman's head turned.

When Madeira made her opening statement, blunt and ominous, and dramatically relayed the information, Sapphire's mouth quirked ever so slightly, as if she were amused. But she stayed silent, her expression otherwise blank, and listened. As Madeira continued, Sapphire finally showed perhaps the first true sign of shock. Her brows raised and her eyes widened ever so slightly when Madeira spoke the word 'reimancer'.

However, she quickly regained her composure, letting out a short laugh as she clapped her hands together once. "My, Madeira, such excellent storytelling. And tell me, Miss Craven, how did the unfortunate Crone point you all to me? What did she say of me, what clue did she give you?" It was difficult to tell if the question was sincere or mocking. "I called you together in the first place, do you not think that I would have given you all of the relevant information I had already?" The next question came out nearly bitingly, as Sapphire narrowed her cool blue eyes at Madeira, a spark of something like cold fury in them.

Her attention shifted to Dev'Ania when the Konti spoke up, and Sapphire tilted her head. "Vengeance? Material gain? I'm most curious to know how you've deduced such things about the killer." Any brief glimmer of anger at Madeira's accusations seemed to vanish as quickly as it showed, and this time, the question was genuine as Sapphire peered curiously at the Konti. "I admit, my knowledge is not without bounds, and when it comes to Avalis and her gifts, it is lacking. Did you see all that with your divination, Dev'Ania?" The brief outburst from the seer that followed left Sapphire with raised eyebrows, as she rocked back on her heels and folded her arms over her chest.

Octarus, who had been silent, was spared her frigid gaze, as she paid him no mind. "You come to my home to accuse me of withholding information from you when I am the one who gave you any to begin with," Sapphire spoke calmly, but her voice had dropped several degrees, and it wasn't the imagination of the trio when they felt cold air wash over them.

"The three of you are my guests and you would do well to be mindful of such accusations in the future. I told you what I knew that could be useful. If you have gained further information from a source you believe to be reliable, then that is good news, but do not use it to point fingers at me." When Sapphire finished speaking, she turned away from the group, the temperature in the room rising back to normal levels.

"Miss Craven, I do in actuality need to know exactly what the Crone said to point you towards me. Was it my name? I doubt so, for fortune tellers are not usually so direct. Are you sure you did not misinterpret what she told you?" Sapphire turned back to the group, arching a brow as she spoke to Madeira, and then looked to Dev'Ania.

"How certain are you of what you said about the killer? About vengeance, and love, and material gain? Is this mere speculation, or are they facts? Think very carefully before you answer me, seer," Sapphire spoke softly, clasping her hands together, touching her tongue to her teeth as she thought for a moment.

"Ladies and gentleman," she finally declared after a moment of pause, "With the information you now have, I believe it is high time we sit down and actually make a list of suspects, rather than continuing to run around like chickens without our heads. We cannot catalogue every citizen or visitor to Lhavit; I have my limits. But we all have connections and knowledge of our own, and so perhaps we may be able to come up with a few names that may reasonably be the culprit. It will certainly help narrow the search, for not everyone who walks these glittering streets is a reimancer, no matter how freely shared the knowledge is in this city."

Clicking her tongue, Sapphire strode over to a chest in the corner, rummaging around before returning with a large sheet of parchment, an elaborate quill, and a vial of deep blue ink. "First, those we can safely cross off our list of suspects." Perching on the couch with her writing utensils on the table, Sapphire wrote down five names in elegant, scrawling handwriting, crossing each one off as she went.

Suspects
1. Madeira Craven
2. Dev'Ania
3. Octarus
4. The Crone
5. Sapphire

"I am well aware it is none of you. The Crone is the most recent victim, and I myself have admitted to you all that while I was responsible for the markings, that I am no killer. And indeed, if I was, then why would I be helping you?" Sapphire questioned, looking at the others for any signs of disagreement before she continued.

"Now. Who are potential suspects? Who do we know within this city that, first and foremost, knows reimancy?" Sapphire dipped the peacock feather quill in the indigo ink, and waited for any of them to speak their suggestions.

[Madeira Dusk]

Madeira clicked her tongue, but met Sapphire's frigid stare steadily as the woman broke apart her and Dev'ania's accusations and started examining the pieces. She didn't care what the woman said, she didn't trust her. She had yet to tell them why she was here, or why she was even stirring up trouble in the first place, seeing as she was the one who started the magekiller ball rolling. She didn't even think it was prudent to tell them she was involved with the Inverted! This woman was all kinds of trouble, in a city that couldn't take much more of it.

"Don't give us this bullshyke, Sapphire", Madeira's voice dropped to the same frigid depths. "My trust is not for free."

But this wasn't the time to push the issue. As much as they didn't like it, Sapphire was their only lead and last ally. She asked what lead the group to her and Madeira could see no point in being dishonest.

"The Crone can... could, be frustratingly ambiguous", she admitted, folding her arms over her chest. "The clue was simply the word blue, which naturally lead us to you."

The woman then turned to Dev, asking her to clarify her interpretation of the cards. Lastly, with the grand flourish of a proper actress, she addressed the assembled group and announced that it was high time they listed potential suspects.

Madeira sank down onto the sagging couch with a sigh as Sapphire rummaged around in her chest, returning with an elaborate feathered quill and large sheet of paper and taking a seat beside her. The woman wrote down all their names in dramatic looping script and crossed them out. Five down, an entire city to go.

Sapphire asked for their suggestions for suspects, and looked expectantly from one person to the next. Madeira swallowed nosily and was the first to speak.

"Lheili Dawn." The name fell heavily from her mouth, like she had to fight to get it out. She glanced up at her two partners, and though she couldn't see a glimmer of recognition at the name, something defensive flared up in her. "Look, I don't know what the motive would be; she's a tower mage and... her sister was one of the magekiller victims. But we have to look at the facts: she's a reimancer, a woman with dark eyes, and... I recognize the magekiller's voice. I've heard it before. And she's the only reimancer I have ever had a conversation with."

It was a weak argument, but she couldn't deny what she saw. Yet it took her a moment to realize why she felt the need to vehemently justify the accusation. As Chiona's ex lover, Lheili was an uncomfortable obstacle in the way of Madeira getting what she wanted. Wouldn't it be so convenient for herself if Lheili was accused and just... disappeared? Octarus, Dev and herself would be heralded as public heroes and Madeira's ongoing problem could be decisively solved in one fell swoop.

Guilt rarely found a place in Madeira's selfish soul. But It would be so much easier if she didn't believe Lheili to be a good person. If life had traveled a slightly different path she firmly believed the two of them would have been friends. But that wasn't about to stop her now. There was too much at stake.

She looked between the other two, waiting for them to offer up their own suspects. But when it became clear nobody else was willing to condemn their neighbours, Madeira crossed her arms and sighed.

"Kasha Ruhi is the only other. She's studied at the Dawn tower too, under the murdered Dawn sister. And her own sister was the original catalyst for this whole mage class divide in the first place. Dev'ania and I talked to her, and there's a lot about her that could fit the murderer. Write that down on your list."

[Luminescence]

Far out, you've received your grades!

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Madeira

Skills

✦Leadership +3
✦Investigation +5
✦Hypnotism +1
✦Logic +4
✦Auristics +1
✦Fortune Telling +1
✦Endurance +1
✦Acting +1
✦Storytelling +1
✦Intimidation +1
✦Intelligence +1

Lores

✦The Alheas Crone: Murdered by the Magekiller
✦Octarus: An Ethaefal of Leth
✦Madeira: Capable of compassion when it's called for
✦Hypnotism: Calming someone in distress
✦The Magekiller: Someone Madeira knows
✦The Crone: Left a message and clues for Madeira and Dev'Ania
✦The Magekiller: Used reimancy to kill the Crone
✦Investigation: Piecing together clues to a murder
✦Fortune Telling: Reversed tarot cards have different meanings
✦Tarot cards: The Moon (upright) indicates illusion, tricks, and deception
✦Tarot cards: The Empress (upright) indicates a maternal figure
✦Tarot cards: Pentacles indicate money and materialism
✦Tarot cards: Death (upright) doesn't always represent literal death, but a symbolic ending
✦Tarot cards: Justice (upright) represents justice and truth
✦Sapphire: Enjoys being dramatic and unsettling people
✦Storytelling: Telling the tale of a murder
✦Madeira: Named Lheili Dawn as a suspect
✦Madeira: Capable of feeling guilty...sometimes

Notes

Thank you for participating in this thread! It was super fun. Also, I know I can give a lot of lores, feel free to only take the ones you want haha.

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Dev'Ania

Notes

PM me for your grades if you return!

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Octarus

Notes

PM me for your grades if you return!

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As always, please don't forget to edit or delete your grading request in the queue! If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grades, don't hesitate to shoot me a PM; I'll do what I can to fix whatever the issue may be!