#thebroker

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It All Comes Home

The Astral Agency were milling about their estate in relative peace. The plans were underway for dealing with the Broker’s deal and each group having their own objectives to deal with the growing problems with the Agents being set up by the mysterious group trying to bring the Astral Agency down. Unfortunately, whomever was attempting to end the Agents did not leave them to their own devices.

The doors to Astral Place were kicked in by an Immortal Flames contingent under the leadership of Iron Jaw. The presence of Iron Jaw and the explosive entrance took the Agents by surprise, considering Iron Jaw had been working with them to undermine the underhanded actions by whomever had it out for Agents. After some very heated words lobbed at the Immortal Flames and Grand Companies in general, Flame Marshal Iron Jaw presented the four reasons he was at the Agent estate with an armed escort.

Four Arrests.

Balthius Stark was charged with assisting terrorists with the damaging of the Lady Dawn and assassination of Captain Bloodied Heart. At first he feigned ignorance as to who this /Balthius/ was, but Berrod interceded and encouraged him to turn himself in. Reluctantly Balthius was cuffed and set aside.

Viktor Harlenk, who was absent for the moment, was charged with the murder of Black Knife and Deadly Tiger and for being a member of the assassination guild ‘Spinner’s Shears.’ Sergei Harlenk nearly lost his cool as his spouse was accused of crimes he was certain Viktor did not commit. Iron Jaw required assurances from Reks Blanc or Sergei Harlenk that they would have Viktor turn himself in to the Hall of the Flames. Though, that ended up being unnecessary as Iron Jaw caught Viktor returning to Ul’dah at the airship landing a bell later.

The final two arrests were for Cerina Borlaaq and Berrod Armstrong for summoning a primal, concealing a primal, suspicion of being tempered, consorting with active Garlean agents, and housing voidsent.  Immediately the all of the gathered Agents protested and some even threatened violence. Flame Marshal gave the Astral Agents a stack of evidence against the company. The documents almost were a play by play of the history of the questionable activities Agents had in the past.

Tempers boiled to a near explosive level, but Berrod and Cerina ended up surrendering themselves over the Immortal Flames and were marched out of the company. Before he departed, Iron Jaw warned the Astral Agents that he would only be able to delay trials for so long. The arrested parties would be found guilty unless the Agents were able provide some counter evidence, but he would do his best to create as much red tape as he could to slow down the process.

Once he left the Agents quickly attempted to reorganize authority so that they could manage the company going forward without Cerina or Berrod. Lurial, Reks, and Sergei attempted to create a plan. Crooked Tarot led scouring the estate for bugs or moles. Most of the Agents also turned in their pearls out of fear of them being tampered with but Broker’s suspected operatives.

However, the Broker cares not for the Agents; current situation and expects their answer soon.

End of Agent: Deal with the Devil?

Surprises had become the new norm for the Astral Agents, it would seem. With Kitakaze capturing the Broker’s spy trying to escape in Ishgard, and the deadline for the Agents’ response to the Broker’s request quickly passing, it was oddly silent on the front with the Broker and the information he had given to the Immortal Flames. Berrod and Cerina were still in jail with laundry list of crimes and Viktor and Balthius remained incarcerated for accusations of murder and assisting of assassins.

The silence ended with the mass amounts of alarms weaved into the wards all going off at once for but a second, as if someone hit the snooze button. Though the alarm continued with more personal shock to see the Broker walking into the Astral Agency estate. The Agents scrambled to assemble and ready themselves for whatever reason he had arrived.

Oddly, the Broker did not make any moves to attack or otherwise harass the Agents. He simply demanded they hand over Ai Kiba, the spy who worked in the Yowl upstairs. After some attempts of banter and deflection, the Broker sat down in the waiting room for Crooked and Dylan Skye to retrieve the Au Ra woman. He would not do any further business until she was returned.

Once Ai Kiba was presented he simply dismissed her with a snap of her fingers, that they would later discover being a variation of a teleport. Lurial Vashir arrived to discuss the actual deal the Broker had come to discuss. Even with the crimes of abducting the woman who worked for him and the theft of the Tomestone, the Broker remained willing to continue contract he had agreed to with Lurial.

Reks Blanc confirmed that the Agents were willing to carry out the task the Broker so desired, the man informed them the Tomestone would have the location of their meeting and dismissed himself just as he had Ai Kiba.

This left the Agents with having to decide if they would back off the deal, knowing now that they were being sent to Azys Lla near the remains of the Warring Triad. Neither part of the location were particularly fond memories for the Agents or Eorzea as a whole. In the end, Reks Blanc, Autgar Bloode, Lurial Vashir, Avenio Naemig, Crooked Tarot, Dylan Skye, Garyn Almos, and Elelvi Elvi were assigned the task of dealing with the Broker.

Upon their arrival, the Broker made several concessions to the Agents to ensure the purity of the information he desired in exchange. He revealed himself as Archive Unit Alpha 001, an allag Manikin programmed to obtain and preserve all information. Even with the empire long since destroyed it continued to carry out its program; but with the fall of the empire and archaeologists prodding Azys Lla some of his data had been corrupted. He required fresh information on three entities in order to extrapolate the corrupted information. For each success against the simulations he created he would give Agents access to his data banks for three questions.

After some deliberation and being assured that the simulations did not possess the same absurd abilities of the entities they were based on, the Agents agreed to the task. 

Each battle possessed its own challenges but the Agents succeeded in pulling through to defeat each one of the recreations. They earned all three questions. Lurial Vashir stepped up to be the one to present each question and requested the Manikin give them a short break to discuss what they desired to ask. He permitted the recess for the deliberations.

The Agents were concerned that the manikin would behave like a mythical genie in a lamp and carefully constructed their inquiries, but when they presented their first question Alpha 001 tossed the question aside, stating that it would be answered with the third question, a question reserved about information on the individual or organization. He allowed some modification to the question, but after every modification either was an invalid question for him to answer or would be answered in the third question, he offered to removed all his data collection on the Agents for period of time in lieu of a question.

The second question was in regards to the Spinner’s Shears. Alpha 001 confessed that all the data he could provide at the time would be outdated in a matter of suns, but offered a comprehensive list and records about the Shears to the company and added information to Avenio. He also provided the Agents with some knowledge that could be used to free Viktor Harlenk from the charges of murder and being a member of the Spinner’s Shears.

The third question, reserved as the completion of his transaction with Lurial, came with quite a few stipulations as Alpha 001 would not violate the contract with the other party. The more problematic aspect was there would be no physical evidence or records with the information. He warned the Astral Agents that everything he spoke of at the moment was discussion of the present and nothing else. The individual acting against the Agents, did not want to destroy the Agents, did not want to replace the leadership, and the Agents were just a tool. The reaction as to who was behind it all came as no surprise to some, a shock to others, and only raised more questions for most.

End of Agent: The Door?

(Events took place before Broken Tool)

Garyn Almos’ goal for a good while was to figure out why Sarij Rahzersyn’s recent property purchase has been locked. The Roegadyn had only been amused by the locked door, while the Steppe Highlander was much more invested. That investment only grew when Sarij had been ‘arrested and executed.’ He had gotten a team to investigate via magic, but after being teleported twice, once to a weird room and then to the Golden Saucer, frustration delayed further action.

However, when a hot spring of all things popped up in front of the house, the highlander renewed his investigation. Oddly Lost Viper, a hellsguard watching over the hot spring had no clue who Sarij Rahzersyn or Berrod Armstrong were. (The technical owners of the estate). Garyn eventually brokered a deal with the Roegadyn and his highlander coworker where they gave him the information as to where to find their boss, the one who set up the hot spring,

To Garyn’s great surprise he was once again led to the Golden Saucer. This time he knew the man he was meeting was the Broker and an allag construct. However, neither fact helped him understand why the Broker was controlling his friend’s estate.

The Broker’s response was as… neutral as ever. He was paid. He did not reveal why or by who. Instead of demanding payment for anything, he offered Garyn a key with a clock on one end. The key would open the house once the clock stopped. Garyn was supremely confused as to why he was offered it so easily and asked if it was something from Allag’s culture. A culture the Broker spared no kind words for in response, but otherwise was not forthcoming as to his reasoning to assist Garyn. He then warned Garyn that he should not try to open the door by himself, but once again offered no details as to why a warning was needed.

After the house was attacked, Garyn handed off the key to someone else unsure of if he would be able to follow up on it due to the injuries he sustained when the workshop exploded.