Investigation

[Rattrap]

"What do you make of this weather, private?"

Private Janis Williams slide escaped strands of hair behind her ear, looking out the nearby window before returning her gaze to the captain sitting across from her. "It is the right time for the heat, though this is awfully exaggerated. Why do you ask?"

The captain didn't answer, but looked outside himself. Turning back to the private, he let the context of the meeting answer for him. Janis went out on the limb: "You think this is sorcery, sir?"

"I've been here for years, and I've yet to see a summer this hot. There was no warning for it, either; winter had been normal. This heat came on too suddenly, too completely. And there's the precursors...the sword, those bugs. This isn't the first time Myrken Wood has seen this scenerio start to play out. Different players, different means...but the same effect."

Janis' mind crept forward, moving along the many questions to the most pertinant one: "What do you want from me?"

"I need to know how far away someone could work this magnitude of sorcery. "

"Well, sir...to my experience, I would say they couldn't be far. In Myrken Wood, or perhaps some of the terrain surrounding it. Often times a visual line helps in the concentration of such, so I'd guess one would have to either be in the town or out in the surrounding hills. The forest is always a possibility."

Thomas nodded and fell silent again. He was reaching on this one. Resources were always scarce - a search party or parties would be straining, and if Thomas was wrong, they would be for naught. "What do you think the likelyhood is of this weather coming from sorcery?"

Janis carefully deliberated on her answer. "Well, sir...it obviously wouldn't be the first time sorcery has altered the weather of Myrken Wood."

Thomas nodded in agreement. He motioned for Janis to be dismissed. "All right, Janis. Thanks." Janis stood and left, leaving the door open as the captain was following on her heels. He stopped in the doorway, addressing the young guardsman manning the desk. "Find Kilborn and send him my way. Leave a note with Lannew if he's not readily available. Then go out and find Coran D'zir. I'd like a word with him."

[Rattrap]

Captain Thomas Daniels sat at his desk, a quill standing idly in his hand. There was paperwork to be done, even though so much had already been so - he'd documented Ariane Carnath's testimony after the fact, for the councilor's benefit as well as for the Order's own records.

The first orders of business were simply enough; the sergeant who had attacked him, Gerard, was discharged from the Order, being marked unfit to protect the people. Rash and self-proclaimed judgements were what damned Myrken Wood in the first place.

The second was Masaccio and Hickensen's patrol route, which was removed in favor of their permanant station at or in the immediate area of the Broken Dagger tavern.

Things got tricky, afterwards. Doctor David D'Rael had confirmed Ariane's story, as well as implicating her, most of the tavern staff, and the Governor Altias Bromn. Thomas wondered what hope Myrken Wood had; half the council were criminals. The captain had half a mind to go arrest the governor, but he knew it would do naught for good. Instead, he started penning lengthy letters to be sent off to some of the surrounding nations, New Dauntless and Thessilane. Myrken Wood needed intervention; to this, he'd include the recent actions - or inactions - of Giscard Guillaume, the known history of Suede Roschen, and this recent as well as many other incidents concering Altias Bromn.

God help them, some higher power might actually step in and clean up the council.

Of course, the matter of these 'koltists' had been seen to in earlier paperwork - the Straka was now actively looking for such individuals, as well as a few patrols out investigating the known symbols around Myrken Wood and looking for any connections.

Thomas sighed. He set aside his form letter and started one addressed to Robert Sullivan.

[Rattrap]

In front of Captain Thomas Daniels, at his desk, was a map. The map was of their local territory and land, Myrken Wood - this particular map had seen some modifications, as Thomas had met it with ink on several occasion to mark the spots deemed the most probable locations for the source of all this trouble.

He still hadn't spoken with Coran D'zir, though the captain hoped that once he had, D'zir could help him narrow down the locales.

But that wasn't Thomas' only matter of business, nor would one thing ever be. There was the letter from Kerrak concerning the Pritchies which the captain would forward to Lieutenant Kilborn, as the lieutenant was already handily covering that.

The second order of business was Private Masaccio, whom the captain had informed of the charge being brought to him. The private was quite mannered about it, accepting without resistance to be detained in the Gaol until the council could hold their trial. He would probably be right across the hall from Mikhail, more likely than not.

Back to the map at hand, Thomas would begin assigning patrols to the forest and the lake, as well as the hills up in the north-eastern part of Myrken Wood. For each, the captain did his best to see at least one magical user among them for detection of any familiar signs of sorcery.

If this was unnatural - and the Governor's oracle said it was - the captain needed to find its source before it could continue plaguing Myrken Wood any longer.

[Rattrap]

Private Janis Williams stood at attention, opposite Captain Thomas Daniels' desk. The captain was reading quickly through her report; after a brief scan, he'd turn his gaze to the blonde guardswoman. "So you think this could be the 'source' we're looking for?"

The private nodded. "It was quite unnatural, sir. 'Evil' would be a fair description; you can read in my report further what effects even being in its presence had on us, as well as its description and the...noises it made. We've even collected some fingers severed by another combatant."

Thomas glanced back at the report, picking out new words now that Janis had given him some, mentally marking where to specifically refer to to get more information. He nodded, then. "Excellent work, private. See if you can't find somebody who can do something with those fingers. Identify, if this creature has ever been seen before. I'll get the description circulating..."

Private Williams nodded and left.