#astralagents

Business As Usual

After the misfortunes of raiding the Broker’s archives, Sarij found a simple job so that the members of Agent could do to keep a lower profile, make some gil, and allow their members to mend from the last one. This one was escorting some merchants to Rhalgr’s reach. The job by all accounts was a legit and on the level, approved by the Immortal Flames. Berrod Armstrong, Cerina Borlaqq, Reks Blanc, Dylan Skye, Crooked Tarot, Elevi, Garyn, Autgar Blood, and Khaisan Tumet, and N’hara Tia set out to complete the job.

Unfortunately, upon arriving at the rendezvous point, the merchant caravan was decidedly absent. It did not take long to find the missing mission objectives on the Pall of Clarity bridge. Though it seemed beast, man, and escort already had been cut down. Khaisan determined throats were slit and all fallen that Agents inspected bore the mark of the Spinner’s Shears. During the investigation, however, the Astral Agency was set upon by another company.

The Golden Dawn had received a job to wipe out bandits that were attacking caravans on their way to Rhalgr’s Reach. Barais Steelshield, Jessie Wildflower, Poe Dotharl, Lacy Firesand, X’alan Windstrike, and Burnt Eagle the Toxicwind, picked up the job as their usual fair. They discovered the Agents in the middle of their investigation and assumed they were the bandits referred to by the job.

A short battle took place on the bridge. The Agents pressed forward against Barais, while the Golden Dawn had Lacy try to take out targets from on high with the support of Poe and Burnt Eagle. Through the din of battle Berrod and other members attempted to bring the battle down to conversation, some had more success than others. Crooked Tarot was stabbed rather deeply as he made his case with Lacy and Poe. Berrod attempted to communicate with X’alan the monk, but her vicious assault and preparation to take down Reks and Elevi forced Viktor to knock her out. Autgar tried to talk to Barais, but Burnt Eagle had other ideas and set his plans into motion to bring an end to the fight.

Garyn was able to neutralize the arcanist’s ability to continue forging new arrays, but Eagle’s ace was already in play: customized microbes designed to consume aether. The microbes were contained in odd aetheric bubbles that gave the Agents and Golden Dawn time to act to defend themselves.

Barais had caught on to what was going on, and despite Cerina landing a near incapacitating blow, yanked her behind him. N’hara attempted to keep the man grappled despite the fact now the Roegadyn was protecting both him and Cerina from the microbes. Between Barais’ shield and Jessie’s barrier they were unharmed by the miasma

So--Iron Jaw was behind it all?

Called it.

He'd said it from the beginning the man was trouble and was too keenly interested in their business. Granted he had put himself into a place where no one would have listened and that was admittedly his own fault but--well, we all make mistakes. What mattered now was that they were going to be ready to deal with him when the time came. And that meant ensuring that he was ready. Now they were taking on the Flames in a manner of speaking, or at the least all the bureaurocratic powers of the Flames. And if there was one thing Tarot really wasn't fond of (when it was used against him) it was red tape.

The thing was that when this was over, so far as he could calculate, they would be through with everything and could start anew. But for now--focus on the task at hand.

Safe houses? Secured and ready to take in guests.

Shop? Closed up tighter than a drum and all 'questionable' materials placed into storage for the time being.

Reputation? Spotless--essentially.

Training? Well, he'd been doing a lot of that--like now even. Berrod had left him with some fairly decent new exercises to go over and a few new tricks to try and master. He liked those--they involved knocking things and people off their feet and even though Berrod had made it very clear that it was a last resort sort of thing...well, Tarot had always been the kind of man to use what he was given in all manner of creative ways. And so here he was, attempting to do what he'd been trying to master for moons now. He took a deep breath--and set his feet. The staff went up, down and tipped into the ground--he propelled himself upwards in flow of the arc and the momentum and into the air, legs up, arms down and grasping the end of the pole--he stopped midway, balanced.

The pole was perfectly perpendicular with the ground now and his body aligned with his weapon. Balanced--both hands holding fast, maintaining that balance. His eyes closed and he breathed. He didn't try to call in a 'breath' this time--just his own, unaided breathing. Stillness and balance. When the staff moved, he shifted to keep control--when it felt like his arms were going to give out, he forced himself to focus on other things. The Free Company, the things they were facing--treasure hunting.

That schmuck, Iron Jaw and all the shite he'd ruined. The pisser was that it was all for nothing--Tarot was confident of that. The man had picked the wrong Company to get 'interested' in and would likely end up paying the price in some way. Even if he took away their ability to be a Free Company, the man couldn't take away their bonds. Even if he killed them--however unlikely--he'd have other people hammering down his door for blood. The man had nowhere to go but down.

He screamed.

Again

It was all he had as he felt the burning, biting pain and the lights before his eyes. They sang to him, they shouted and called his name over and over again.

Why do lovely flowers bloom from the cherry tree? Children of seven, waking smile at the sun. The song was there in his ears and the shouting and the burning and the smoke and the fire. Fire so much fire. Fire everywhere and no where. Legs in pain, lungs heaving for air. Breath breath breath cough choke die.

Why do crimson branches dance in the village streets? Children of 7 singing, call down the wind. Clutching cloying tasting bleeding burning dying living gouging. Touching and tearing and weeping. Sweet flower, sweet flower take me away please to far away lands. The sea is where they came from smoke riding--sweeping like foam in the air. Flower, flower flower drifting drifting. Ink spilled silk ruined feathers dashed money made. Flowers so expensive a bundle here a bundle there and touch of happiness for a time.

Why do wilting flowers fall from the cherry tree? Children of 7 dying to wake once more.

Taste of freedom came with snow. Snow in the clothes snow in the toes snow in the mouth. Sweet wanderer across the sea to mountains high and valleys low and the snow for the tongue the promise of joy ojy yoj everlasting to sweet sweet oblivion. Kill for the sweet to reclaim he joy that they die die die die eid edi

He screamed again and Nocturne shuddered. The man roared against the shackled that held him to the bed, the soft restrains binding the captive as more of the need left him--there was more poison here than simply whatever it was that the Followers had fed him. His mouth had to be gagged for fear he’d bite his own tongue off in his roiling pains and throes of withdrawal.

“Be silent, please.”

His hand hovered on the knife on his belt. It would be a mercy--if he ever recovered Oda would never live with himself for what he had become. Eyes sunken and touched with the desperation and hunger only a visitor of the dens could ever know. It wouldn’t be painful. Swift and silent. His pain ended and misery and memory brought to silent bliss. A hand trembled as he held fast the tattered and stained and ruined silken sash that bore the clan’s standard. Using that hand he forced the other to keep the weapon where it belonged and he turned without another word and returned to his room.Silence--so very silent. He shut the door behind him and listened the the unheard screams from the man in the infirmary. Nocturne felt the woven mat beneath his knees and hot tears on his cheeks. His head touched the floor and he wept, prostrate before the altar. No words no songs--no sounds.

This is the list of names I have signed up for the Starlight Exchange. To make sure I missed no on, please check to make sure your name is on the list and, if not, remind me to add you to it ASAP.

After Lady Aravyl was sealed away it seemed the Astral Agents solved their problem. Unfortunately, Sarij and Sifrid found Ravn nearly entirely drained of aether in a guest room. A small investigation yielded that a second Voidsent was loose. Sarij and Director Mountain began preparations for dealing with this threat head on rather than waiting for it to strike again.

Three Devils: Hunger in the Shadows

November 12, 7:30 EST Astral Agent’s Headquarters.

After the sealing of the Void Portal forming in the Astral Agents home, Xere’to was knocked out by the very tome he sought from Saelsria. After a few days in the medical wards, the Miqo’te visitor to the Astral Agents met with several members of the more aethericly inclined to discuss the actual nature of Voidsent.

Through those discussions the Onyx Order Miqo’te decided the next step was to track down the past of the Elezen host, Lady Aravyl. After a short meeting with Sarij Rahzersyn Xere’to was given permission to lead a trip to Ishgard. Much to the Miqo’te’s relief nearly a dozen agents were willing to assist him.

The assembled team met in Ishgard just before night fell, the reason for such a time Xere’to omitted from the briefing. Sterrbhar, Bee, and Orren join Xere’to in visiting Athenaeum Astrologicum, given access to the library by Sergei’s contact. Svar, Sergei, Balthius, Nocturne, Vkitor, Emileaux, and Mikha made their way to the Forgotten Knight to see what the mouths of drunks and brumelings would offer.

Xere’to and his team were quick to start looking for some sort of text that held the records of the time Lady Arayl was alive. Neither Sterr nor Xere’to had much luck aside from discovering the books were /missing/. Orren stumbled across an order to remove books regarding the era the Agents were investigating. The order bore an unfortunately familiar crest and colors, House Reif. Bee’s luck was with her the entire evening, she stumbled into a man by the name of Samuel who offered to give her the book should she steal a key from one of the students for him. She, in typical Bee fashion, went up and alerted the mark of Samuel’s plan. The hyur yielded the book to Orren regardless.Though out of spite, Samuel made no attempt to hide the hand off, an action carefully watched by a scarlet clad Raen who made the least graceful entrance to the building possible.

Sterrbhar noticed the Raen’s interest and approached the man directly. The ninja responded by attacking the Roegadyn with a pair of knives. One dug into Sterrbhar’s back and the other slashed his arm. Xere’to called for a retreat, and after Bee knocked the attacker out with a Star Globe to the head, they bolted to the nearest Aetheryte shard. The Pillars’ team was pursued by several other scarlet clad Raen but were able to escape through an emergency teleport back to the house. Half the team lost their dinner onto the lawn.

The second team met their own difficulties in the investigation. Much of the overflowing tavern was unhelpful when prodded, but a few children forced the truth into the air with a dark rhyme.

“So late at night, stay far from sight. She take your eyes, She take your eyes.Look away, run away! Your head will hang from her hook, your name will be in her book.”

The Agents were given their answers and quickly made for the Brume where many attacks matching the Voidsent’s trademark were reported. They had barely entered the dead alleyways when six headless men rose to attack the group. Thankfully, the team was mostly prepared for combat and took down five of the six in quick succession. The final headless did not engage the agents.

After the short melee, Inquisitor Skyfang encountered the Agents and began to interrogate them on what they knew about the new heresy; despite the fact there was a growing darkness creeping toward the team. Lady Aravyl suddenly appeared draped over the remaining headless.

“Tell me my little thief, how are their eyes?”

Wisely, none of agents met her gaze, but both Svar and Sergei attempted to engage. Neither were able to harm the Voidsent, only the remaining headless man. After delivering an oddly warm message to Sergei and being unharmed by all attempts to slay her, Lady Aravyl and the remains of the headless men vanished. Brume was once more lit up with torches. Inqusitor Skyfang took her own leave quite quickly. The only thing that remained was a whisper.

“I must visit my imperfects…”

Back at the house, Xere’to attempted to take the book from Orren his team acquired in Ishgard, only to be once more sent flying back to meet a wall. This time the Miqo’te was left conscious. Bee ended up taking the book for safekeeping.

@astralagents