Calling on Cerberus

The Arcanist's Prison is none too pleasant a place.

For one mage however it is where they are being kept awaiting their trial for the attempted theft of goods and attempted assault of individuals trying to keep those goods safe from harm. His companions dead, Cerberus is the lone survivor of the attacks on the Lord Ahu's caravan of goods. He hasn't said much - anything really since his capture. His long ears mark him as something other than human and the superior-angry look on his face whenever someone calls him 'elf' says that he might not be that either.

Either way he rests now securely behind bars, sitting on a palate of thatch and reading a book that he seems to have collected from somewhere.

The wards of the Arcanist's Prison have been restored, reinforced, this time with an elegant, almost elven flair. Clearly -someone- took their work seriously when they came in to fix things. As part of entering the secure areas, Khepri turns over its blade and gear -- no point in arguing. The war golem twitches a bit entering the warded areas, sensing the heavy blanket of magic-nullification laying over everything.

Still, there is work to be done, and the Executor walks down the halls towards Cerberus's cell, its metal shod feet clanking on the stone floor. Only pausing to inspect a couple of the warding inscriptions that stand out, looking strangely real and unreal at the same time.

Tlanexhuani has not visited this prison before. Nor any prison, in fact; this is not a bad thing? He looks over the interior with some curiosity and uncertainty, following others inside. Eventually the bluescale's eyes fall on the recognized prisoner.

Aelwyn really did not enjoy the confined nature of this place. He had hoped to never return to these cursed halls - but that was not here nor there. Indeed, the ruddy sith-makar's step seemed strangely light, and he had a small bag over his shoulder. "Ah, do not look so grim - we should not stress the esteemed guest!" He tells the other two.

Finally, when the two near the cell, the Dragoon lowers the bag and puts his hand on his hip, angling it upwards. "Mage," He bows his head, tipping the ribbons forward. "This one brought bread." It smells exceedingly tasty.

Cerberus glances up almost subtly over the edge of his book, a rumbling of his stomach giving away the nature of his peeking. The bread smells delicious. Particularly to a man who has spent his last weeks eating nothing but prison gruel. Even so he frowns and keeps his eyes on his book, struggling not to pay you any heed.

GAME: Khepri rolls knowledge/nature+3: (5)+9+3: 17

"This one means no stress to any," Tlanexhuani explains Aelwyn. "This one only not know this place. Is kind bring food." His attention returns to the reading (and rumbling) man.

"This one, others, come to share words," he now offers to the mage. After a pause, he expounds, "Why attack? Why take? Why do these things for ..." his claws lift up to try and pluck words from the air, but shortly relents to just gesture around them with "...this?"

For a change, Khepri isn't wearing the plague-doctor mask that fits over its faceplate. Instead, its 'true' face -- an oval of white jade, with two pale yellow eyes set in oddly androgynous, almost beautiful features -- is visible. Smoothly, the golem leans forward a little, studying the captive mage.

"My compatriot has the right of it. Brigandry is not permitted in most civilized lands. Bandits are typically hunted down. This is known, and thus only the most desperate resort to it. Why commit such acts?"

GAME: Khepri rolls diplomacy: (13)+1: 14
GAME: Tlanexhuani rolls diplomacy: (3)+3: 6
GAME: Aelwyn rolls diplomacy: (19)+14: 33

Aelwyn tilts his head towards Khepri and Tlanexhuani, looks disapprovingly towards them, and then inhales deeply, and exhales. "Later that discussion." He rumbles and waves his hand dismissively. Finally, he turns towards the bars. "More importantly, it is important to stay fed." He slowly peels open the sac and opens it up. _Smoke_ wafts out of the bag lazily, full and filled with warmth. Tinges of cinnamon fill the air. One could sense the freshly baked crust, just waiting to be slathered in butter and cracked open. "Let us first break bread, and then as this one's companions said, we shall be interested in hearing the story of a mage."

He flashes his teeth. With the glint of his eyes, it would nearly look friendly. If it wasn't filled with so many sharp teeth.

Apparently, the mage doesn't seem that afraid of sharp teeth and smoke. Ceberus takes the bread willingly and sighs as a piece comes out as pleasant to look at as it smells. The prisoner sighs and cracks the bread open, eating a tiny piece and looking at Aelwyn suspiciously. "Don't know that there's much to tell. I was born to a human mother. Tis that which was my crime."

He frowns and tears more bread off. "My father was fae, full-blooded and of the high court, a nobleman born bred and true. He used to come and tell me such stories when I was little, but little by little he stopped coming at all. He abandoned me and my mother as she aged and her beauty faded and she wept all the time. I tried to hate him, but it was her that I hated. I hated her weakness. I hated her mortality. I hated that I was trapped in this mortal world with *her*."

He sighs and takes a big bite of the bread suddenly, looking morose. "I don't know why the fae are so interested in Lord Ahu's delivery, but one of the Lord's said that they'd traffic me into faerie if I could steal the goods and delay the delivery for as long as possible. Days at least. Weeks if possible. Months, and there'd be coin enough for us all to be rich! No more wanting!" Ceberus looks miserable now. "More the fool I."

GAME: Aelwyn rolls sense motive: (18)+6: 24
GAME: Khepri rolls sense motive: (4)+10: 14

Tlanexhuani blinks slowly at this reveal, and opens his maw to start to ask a question. He decides better and closes his mouth, turning his snout to look to the others (rather than the mage) quizzically. Fae? Now they steal goods from wagons in addition to names? What will they desire next, younglings?!

Khepri looks at Tlanexhuani pointedly. "There seems to be an unusual uptick in incidents involving the fey here. First the machinations of 'Ilenzi' who turned out to be something else entirely, now this." The amber gaze turns back to Cerberus.

"Interesting. What could Lord Ahu be transporting that would be of such import that fey lords would seek to delay the delivery into Alexandria?" The Executor pauses. "I did not pry unduly into the nature of the cargoes. Perhaps I should look into that."

Aelwyn's grin does not wane, except where appropriate for the man's quite unfortunate tale. He would reach to pat the man on the shoulder, but, bars. "Ah. This one has been told to assume, that to be involved with fey, usually invites misfortune. Family merely invites the fortune of misfortune." He says with a sympathizing voice and a click of his tongue. "Though one has their hands and mind still, therefore it is not time to despair." Yet. He glances towards Khepri, just for a moment.

Then his attention returns to the mage. "This one nearly forgot, what is one's name and where does one greet from?"

The bread is really good, though. Plain by design, delicious by craft.

"Cerberus." The man says. "My name is Cerberus. I'm from here in Alexandria. But not the city. We lived out way in the middle of nowhere." Cerberus shrugs. "I'd tell you more if I knew it. I can tell you where I met the fae, but I don't know who they are. They were always wearing masks and always used fake names."

Here he flushes. "That's the fae for you. They never use their real names. Lest someone try to steal them. I didn't give them mine either. Just so you know. I'm not stupid."

GAME: Aelwyn rolls sense motive: (12)+6: 18

Khepri tilts its head quizzically. "So they wore masks, did not give their real names, but you knew they were fey? How so? While improbable, it could be that I am two goblins in an elaborate artifice disguise. They may not have been fey at all -- and that their promised gold was a lie."

"You must have had some way to contact them, to assure them the deed was done."

"Ssa," Tlanexhuani agrees with Khepri on activity. "Alsso much raiding, taking. Maybe is by fae, maybe is not?" He has no idea if the rise in one is tied to the rise in the other, but it's possible

While he is not the one asking questions and so not the one being answered, he thumps his tail lightly in acknowledgement of Cerberus' wisdom regarding names, though shares no words regarding that.

Aelwyn puts his hand on his hip, narrows his eyes again for a moment - before he rolls his shoulders. "Ah, giving fake names seems a very Fae thing to do." And for any other person with nefarious intent. Khepri was right, but he pats the construct on the arm regardless. "This one is suspicious by nature, do not worry about it."

Flashing his teeth, the Dragoon then turns back towards the mage. "Does one know why they knew to contact, however? Did one know this Lord beforehand?"

"I didn't know anything of Lord Ahu. They had to tell me where to go to find where the delivery was going to be; and it was exactly where they said it was. I mean... doesn't that mean that someone working for the Lord is giving out his information? It wasn't me that told them! I didn't know!" Cerberus looks at Khepri. "Whenever I wanted to contact them I went to one specific circle of stones and called out a word of power and one of them would come to me eventually. Sometimes it would take a while though. I think because time works differently for them."

Khepri rocks its head from one side to the other, considering. "It does raise certain questions about Lord Ahu's security. Although there are ways to find such things out that do not require an informant."

The golem looks at Aelwyn blankly. "We should first determine the nature of these shipments. Lord Ahu's position might insulate him from inquiry into their nature -- but if he wishes his business to remain unmolested he should cooperate with questions."

Aelwyn nods his head towards Cerberus and then lets out a brief click of his tongue at Khepri. "Ah, but this one is certain the Lord would prefer discretion and allies over questions and inquisition." The draconian points out. Returning his attention towards Cerberus, "How did the fey know to contact Mage then?" He asks, tilting his head. "Did anyone else know about one's dealings?"

Cerberus starts to open his mouth and then realizes that he doesn't know the answer to Aelwyn's question. "I don't know. It could be that my father suggested me to someone! Perhaps he's trying to get me into the court... I..." The hope in his eyes dies a short death. "Of course I'm stuck here now. Who knows how many they've told... I've told none save you... you and a cat." He puts his head in his hands now that they're empty of bread.

Despair is not pleasant to see, and even Khepri is not unfazed by it. "Your cooperation might be the deciding factor in granting clemency," it advises. "The unhappy and desperate all too often become tools for those engaging in certain machinations."

That last bit puzzles the inquisitor though. "A... cat?" it asks, its tone one of confusion. This conversation definitely took a turn.

Aelwyn looks at Cerberus. He takes in a deep breath, then exhales lightly. "This one understands." He would pat the man on the back again physically, but his eyes do so metaphorically. "Do not fall into despair yet." He flashes his teeth - then he pauses, joining Khepri in the confusion. He tilts his head. "... whyfor would one speak to a cat?"

"Because I was lonely and I had no one of intelligence to speak to." Cerberus says mournfully. "My companions were thugs I hired with the lure of gold alone and no greater aspiration. So in the late of night a feline came and sat at my side and I spoke to it of my desire for a homeland and of what lured me and the whole sad tale as I told it to you. Then it meowed and left me with a purr. I should have abandoned my quest there and followed the blasted cat!" Cerberus curses quietly.

Khepri nods slowly, although it does not perceive much import in the tale of the cat. "Probably. Is there anything else you might remember about this venture? Names, locations, dates? The more information we can garner the better your chances that you might see the sun again, without chains."

Khepri looks to Aelwyn. "It is clear this is more than just a simple band of bandits running amok in the hinterlands."

Aelwyn tilts his head. "Cats do have that effect, this one has noticed. Though this one has never had an urge to follow one." He taps his snout with his finger. "A black cat?" He asks out of curiosity, but then he nods his head towards Khepri. "Yes, there are too many strange occurrences." He agrees. "Such as those eyes and that man who thought fiend." He gestures with his hand. "This one wonders if they are related."

"Yes. It was a black cat. As for my companions... they're all dead now. Every last one of them fell on the battlefield. You could ask them questions, but they know less than I even. As far as I know there were only two efforts to stop the Lord Ahu's goods from reaching their destination. You know... what you really might ask him is what he was doing leaving his goods in the middle of what was known fae territory." Cerberus said.

Khepri considers. "The fey creatures in the Alexandros heartlands are not known for their aggression. One wonders... did Lord Ahu offend them in some way? This must be investigated. If he has done something to provoke this kind of machinations it might escalate."

The golem shrugs. "Of course, fey can be provoked by things that even mortals might not care about. Regardless, it does bear further scrutiny."

Aelwyn turns his head towards Cerberus. Then he flashes his teeth. "This one must admit - the affairs of noble are impenetrable to this one's understanding. Usually this one's interactions are retained by contract and blade." He flickers his tongue. "Yet Mage speaks truth," He gestures towards Khepri. "These are questions that need to be considered."

The draconian then crosses his arms, leaning on his another leg with a playful tail whip. "To be clear, it was only Mage and the thugs he hired? No one else was involved?" And another whip from his tail. "And there was a reason to try and drown a horse of a well known and respected Cavalier?" His teeth were sharp and playful.

Cerberus has no answers for Khepri. None, and Aelwyn's 'playful' inquiries are pointed to the young mage who looks a bit nervous for the first time. "It's true. It was only me and my companions. We were enemies at the time. I... I should not have done what I did. But... I'll take exile if that's what it takes. I never wanted to be here anyway. Just don't let them lock me up here for the rest of my life. I'll do *anything* else."

Khepri's voice is flat. "His fate is not ours to decide now. I drew him from the Harpist's arms to face inquiry and justice; we will not be the arbiters of his sentence."

The jade face turns to Cerberus. Beautiful and unmoving, as the voice issues forth from its lips. "Your cooperation will be noted. I will request that you are granted an advocate. Beyond that, you will simply have to put your faith in the gods."

Aelwyn tilts his head, twisting his lips - but then he flashes his teeth again. "Lest worry not; Mage shall certainly receive their chance." The Dragoon rumbles. "This one shall return with more bread and perhaps Huntress wishes to hear those words herself." His voice nearly purring. He was a lizard. It sounded more like growling.

Straightening, he looks back towards his companions. "This one is not certain if there is more to be gained of value." He says out loud, "It shall indeed be, left to the gods to decide if this was enough."

-End