Study Knights Assemble!

The library of the Society For Progressive Arcanists is often abuzz with quiet activity. There are tests to study for, practicums to panic for, exams to *not* study for, and socializing to conceal. For a place dedicated to quiet and academia, it's amazing how *busy* it is, moment to moment.

At one of the study desks at the ground floor, Magpie is cheerfully doing her job; researching boring books in the service of someone else's stupid ide, and at least trying to have some measure of fun with it. Currently, that fun totals up to a small fortress of books stacked artfully around the edge of the desc -- with machicolations, no less! -- to defend an open notebook and a mug of tea.

Also keeping her spirits up, the song she sings under her breath, as she bops back and forth in the chair.

       Halfway!

       Between the black and grey,

       Is no place

       For a life to waste away!

       I'll take

       The world with all its stakes~!

It doesn't take Dolan long to get pointed in that direction, and the chuckle he responds with is laced with a hearty helping of relief. "It's as well," he explains to the woman accompanying him as he makes for the study hall. "Her quarters make ours look like an unplowed field, baby. I'm not sure we'd all _fit_."

He is fully dressed for adventuring, weapons and all, a light crossbow over his back, over the sheepskin jacket and cloaks.

"That's a fucking terrifying thought," Andelena says with a laugh. The redhead woman is wearing her armor and is sporting a new scar that drags across her cheek, the gash lifting a little with her smile. "That's for the best."

She's similarly armed and armored as her Redeemer counterpart, dressed in mithral armor and with a familiar longsword sheathed on her sword belt. Andelena keeps a hand on the hilt of her sword all the while, like she's expecting anything or anyone to come behind a stack of books and go for her throat, but she's easy-going enough in expression for the moment.

       Today!

       So many moons away, I safely say~!

       We stand as one

       A bond beyond the vastways

       (Until the last grave!)

First it's the 'SSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH!' from somewhere nearby, that reminds Magpie she's supposed to be studying, not singing (poorly, at that). As she looks around guiltily to apologize to an actual face rather than a disembodied shush, she spots Dolan and Andelena coming in like loaded minecarts... And the gnome blinks, doubletaking at the scar tracking down the priestess' cheek.

Any friendly greeting is quashed, upon these contextual clues, and when they reach her, Magpie's greeting is a small, worried "...What *happened?!"

"Jal'goroth, or one of his minions, happened, Magpie." Dolan wastes no words, and skips his usual friendly greeting. Guilt is written plainly in every line of him. "Andie's one of the lucky ones. She sent him back, but we're going to have to take this sack of manure out. Think you can do some digging and see if you can help us find out how?" He reaches back with one hand, towards Andie, as if offering it for her to take.

"Asshole wore the face of my baby brother," Andelena growls. She takes Dolan's hand, squeezing it gently. "It was personal before. But now? It's way fucking past personal. And way too many people died in that Temple."

She sighs. "Sorry to just drop this on you like a stack of bricks, Magpie, but we really do need your help."

'One of Jal'goroth's minions' 'died in that Temple.'

For a moment, Magpie's face seems blank, eyes tracking from Dolan to Andelena as each speaks in turn. Then she turns back to her work, carefully selecting books from the fortress -- and in the process, creating a few murder holes -- which as a stack just get *dropped* on the empty desk next to her, followed by a few moments of scribbling on fresh sheets of notepaper.

tI QUIT

Says the top sheet, followed by a laundry list of notes to be given to the next adjunct, so they can hit the ground running. These are stacked on top of the selected books, then Magpie picks up her tea mug, draining it dry in one long swallow.

"Okay," she says, voice as flat as her face. "I'm gonna go reserve us a study room. Is anyone else coming by, so I know who to point our way?"

"I left Verna a message, but she's pretty busy," Dolan answers, squeezing the hand in return and watching Magpie's scrawl with a raised eyebrow and what remains of the other one. "I hope she can make the time to come by. You're - well, I wasn't thinking you to quit your job for this, but - thank you." He sounds just a little hesitant. "Best to keep this pretty quiet."

"Quiet is pretty much the name of the game, and I fucking hate to admit that because neither Bry nor I are any good at being quiet," Andelena admits. That'd normally be a joke delivered with a grin, but it's only a slight smirk at the moment.

She looks to Dolan. "And honestly, babe, if I was pushing books around for wizards and something like _this_ landed in my lap? I'd do exactly what Magpie's doing now. Thank you, honestly." The gratitude is genuine.

Still expressionless, Magpie looks up at Dolan, then Andie, and lifts a shoulder. "Don't have time anymore," she says simply. "Maybe when we're done I'll complain about it, but... I got tenure last week. I can do whatever I want. Fuck it. I'll be right back."

After dropping that little tidbit like a gobber stinkbomb in the middle of the library, she toddles off to the front desk.

Some of the effect of Dolan being left blinking in shock is lost in the fact that he possesses only one eye to blink. He turns to face Andelena, without letting go of her hand, and looks up at her. "I think we came to the right person," he tells her seriously, then turns his head to look towards the front desk, clearly surprised and more than a little impressed by the little gnome's sudden vehemence.

"We sure did," Andelena replies to Dolan. She's surprised, sure, but more than anything, there's that cheeky grin on her face. "I can appreciate someone who tells something to fuck off when the cards are down. Here's hoping she doesn't get into too much shit with her higher-ups."

It's not long before the gnome totters back to her desk, and waves the pair over. What follows is merely a couple minutes worth of walking past shelves, to a hallway studded with doors to rooms, all without knobs. Instead, Magpie pulls out a gold-chased amethyst crystal, taps it against the silver plate where a doorknob ought be, and waves the Daeusites in.

This being an arcane academy, *of course* the room beyond is bigger than the density of the doors would suggest; instead, the room is about twenty feet on a side, with a long table and a dozen chairs dominating most of it. Far more room than one would need, unless one intends to be cross-referencing a lot of books.

"Silence wards on the doorframe," Magpie says, blank and somewhat distracted. "Need a crystal because students kept throwing parties, and bags of holding are a lot more secure than a lockbox. Same principle. Okay. They know where to send Verna if she comes by. All right. Gimme a sec. Adrenalin's taking up a lot of brainspace. Tell me what happened while I sort myself out."

"It's Andie's story to tell, really." Dolan, who had tailed after Magpie, carrying that serious expression with him as he goes. "I was off taking care of something else with Tel and Lana." He has not let go of Andelena's hand, but does so now, wandering aimlessly in search of a table. "I wasn't there when it happened," he adds guiltily.

"You were doing the Knight's work, Bry," Andelena says gently to Dolan, squeezing his hand again. She looks at him with nothing but tender affection in her steel-gray eyes, a look that some people might think she was incapable of if they'd never seen her around Dolan. "That was important, too."

She looks to Magpie and the eyes resume their usual piercing gaze. "We were informed via letter that there's a demon after _me_, thanks to my bitch of a mother deciding to just raise the stakes altogether in her consorting with demons. My baby brother, Seb, was the one who sent the letter--he's the only member of my family I can even remotely tolerate, although he's always been a little bit of a pushover since he was one of my mother's two 'beloved boys'. Seb came into the Temple right as Dolan was getting ready to leave to help Telamon and his wife, so... I said I'd talk to Seb and we'd be okay."

Andelena sighs. "Yeah. We weren't fucking okay. It was a demon wearing Seb's face. It tried to attack me--pretty sure its aim was to drag me away and kill everything else in its path, but I was not going to just sit there and be taken. Wasn't gonna inflict that pain onto Bry if I could help it. We fought--and it took _lives_." Her voice is pained as she adds, "Several Sunguards I know fell alongside me. I finally ended it when I put my sword through its fucking chest, and it went back to the Hells where it fucking belongs."

Her steel-grey eyes are sharp like swords as she looks at Magpie. "But it's not gonna stay there. Hence why we need answers on weaknesses for Jal'goroth, because if that's the demon who was wearing my baby brother's face? I'm gonna need to figure out how to make it dead for good."

"...I need to write Dad," Magpie murmurs, eyes closed as Andalena tells her story. But she doesn't follow up on that, instead taking slow, measured breaths, ears twitching as the priestess' narrative takes its surprise turns. When the tales winds down, the gnome wipes her hands roughly down her face, tosses her headpiece onto the table, and runs her fingers through honey-colored hair. "Okay. Sorry about that. Crisis mode makes it hard to think past 'what could happen and how to stop it.' All right. I don't know. I don't *have* the information, but I know where to *start.*" Opening her eyes, she looks between the Daeusites, lips stretching in a slow grin. "And I know *who* to start with. I've forgotten a lot of names though, there've been a lot lately. How's Auranar doing, and do we know anone besides Simony, that goblin girl, that has much facility with books? Verna's a good start, I hope she finds us."

Rocking back in her chair, she considers an option. "Well, I know *one* way to kill a demon absolutely stone dead. Problem is, soneone already tried it before, a little, and now we have the ward."

"I'm not sure what Auranar's current status is," Andelena says. "Bry knows her better than I do. I know Telamon's into books, and I think his wife's a spellcaster? I've never managed to meet her."

She looks curiously at Magpie. And then she squints. "Please don't tell me someone tried to summon a fucking demon."

"I haven't seen Auranar in several days," Dolan admits, following Magpie over towards the chosen table. He pulls out a chair for Andelena, then takes the one next to it, eyes never leaving the gnome. "I didn't think you'd have it off the top of your head, Magpie. If we need more people to help you research, just say so."

"Lots," Magpie says to Dolan. "Telamon. Maybe Cor'lana. Okay. That's a good start. Lots of libraries. The more the better." Digging through her pockets, Magpie tosses a fresh notebook and pressure-sealed vial of ink onto the tabletop, then extracts a metal pen, and begins scribbling.

"And yeah, Andie. I can't believe you didn't hear about it, it's the whole reason this city ward project happened in the first place. Couple wizards with more power than sense tried to shortcut to the end of a problem, and ended up summoning a Duke of Hell just outside of town."

Skritch skritch skritch skritch. "But that's what comes to mind; pull Jal'goroth here, slap the ol' planar shackle magics on him, then stab him until the twitching stops. Gotta say, that *feels* good. Anyway. Just telling you right now, I'm gonna *need* both of you to trust me. There's stuff Dolan can't know about, so if I clam up, *don't push.* Please. It'll be better for all of us."

"I'd heard _something_ had happened," Andelena says, "but I didn't know the whole story til now. I only arrived in Alexandria for the first time last year--and that was to find this guy here." She points to Dolan with a little smile.

She looks hesitant when Magpie pulls the old 'hey gal, just trust me' card from the deck--but, well. They did seek her out for a reason. "Okay," she says. "I trust you. Not gonna push. We came looking for you specifically and we're not gonna walk away now."

"I'm not mixing up with summoning anything," Dolan states flatly, not even looking at Andelena now. "I'm not going to push you, Magpie, but I've got to walk some lines to get this done. That's one I won't cross, and that's why. People do stupid shit, and it ends badly for everyone."

He goes quiet at the story Magpie tells, though. "I'd heard it was people from the Guild consorting with demons. I hadn't heard anything like that, though. How did they stop something like that once they got it here?" The very idea sends a chill down his spine.

"And I get it, Dolan. That's why I *don't* plan on being stupid. I don't know how it ended, but, I know it did end with a *lot* of hacked-off faculty and a lot of pulled grants up here on the hill," Magpie says, shrugging. "I know what I'm like, and I know how easy it is to screw up something that screw-uppable. But I got resources and an advisor who has a personal, existential stake in seeing those resources aren't used stupidly. And I like the guy, so I'm gonna do right by him."

Scrubbing her hands over her face again, Magpie blows out a long, gusty sigh. "Also, going back a bit... Dolan, y'know why I barely batted an eye when you told us all about *another* stupid book that was screwing people up, here?"

Andelena, a little slow on the uptake compared to her Redeemer, finally realizes that Magpie's referring to summoning Jal'goroth, and... she takes a moment to breathe. A little squeeze of Dolan's hand.

The mention of the book gets her focus back, however. "I kind of figured you had weird-ass books all over the place. Something like that?" she asks.

"No, I don't, but I expect you're about to tell me." Dolan's features suddenly split into a cheeky grin that softens the words, and he settles down. He still hasn't let go of Andelena's hand, and now squeezes it again, as if he doesn't want to let go of her. "Must have made some pretty powerful people pretty angry."

Magpie stabs a finger at Andelena. "She's got it; because weird stuff happens *daily* around here, mostly because if you carry the wrong one, you might flip gravity or some nonsense." Throwing her hands over her head, she waves them about a bit for emphasis. "Wizards! The only thing you can depend on is you can't depend on *anything* unless you've got three layers of rules and a shell of policy! But your Temple's a place of peace, and justice, and when something goes wrong there, it goes *so wrong,* because it's *not supposed to happen.*"

The wild look leaves her eyes, and she stares, penetratingly, at the Inquisitor. "So don't blame yourself for something that *isn't your fault.*"

Verna has arrived.

"It's not that." Dolan puts his other elbow on the table and rests his face in his hand, carefully. "I told Andie I'd be there for her, that she wouldn't have to face something like that without me, and the minute I leave her, that's when it hits." He lets out a breath, still staring at the table. "I'm luckier than I ever knew. I can only offer thanks to the Knight that she's all right, yeah? So I've had it with these little shits. They're threatening my family, they're threatening my love, they're threatening the city, and they're threatening me. Enough. I'll see them destroyed and their master thwarted."

The brief knock upon the study room door is provided for notification rather than request for permission, as it is followed shortly thereafter by the door unlocking. Verna subsequently enters, ensconced in her Mourner robes though the cloak was previously shed within the library outside. "My duties kept me longer than anticipated," she offers as she closes the door behind her.

"Yeah. *Nobody* hurts my friends," Magpie agrees, staring levelly at Dolan. "*Nobody.* Not even my friends. Keep that in mind, Dolan... and make sure you're angry at the right people. You're not one of them, and that's all I'll say on the subject."

Which is a good thing, because as Verna enters the study room, Magpie decides now is a *fantastic* time to talk about literally anything else. Her face splits in a wide grin, and she motions Verna to a chair. "Hey there! C'mon in, sit down, I'm getting a new job! I'll be officially consulting with the Temple of Daeus as a research assistant. I gave myself the job because, hey, what else is tenure good for? I got tenure by the way! Sit down, things are screwed."

Andelena puts her hand gently on Dolan's lap, squeezing his leg close to the knee as a comforting gesture. "We'll get this bastard together," she tells him, gently.

But she can't say much more since Verna's walking in. "Hey Mourner," she says, offering a wave of her hand. "Screwed is one fuckin' way to put it." Considering the new scar that Andelena's sporting on her cheek--she probably knows from first-hand account how screwed things are.

Dolan looks up and over at Andelena, quirking a half-smile and a soft snort at the reassurances, the chiding, and the squeeze on his knee. "Brightest of days, Verna. Yeah, shit's pretty screwed," he agrees, looking up at the others. "It's okay, Magpie. It's not the first time, but it sure as sunrise will be the last." Again, over to Andelena, then back to Verna. He's got this way of turning his whole head to look at someone. "Jal'goroth, or one of his minions, hit the Temple wearing the face of her baby brother. I've got Tel and Lana seeing if they can locate the real Seb. Baby, that reminds me, do you have anything of his? Maybe the letter he sent? Or better yet, something else? Find out if he really sent that."

The shift from the quiet of the library to the Magpie of the study room is abrupt and stark. Verna takes a moment to process this. She then nods to the gobber. "I am pleased that you obtained a position and tenure rapidly and are enthused about such." Magpie's last adjective leads into Andelena's and Verna's head and eyes turn to follow. "I presume from context and tone that the vernacular is not reference to some manner of fornication, despite allegations in the past of absue involving the study rooms..."

"Ah," she nods anew at Dolan's more detailed explanation. "This particular group of fiends, especially Jal'goroth, has demonstrated a widespread interest in a number of individuals. I am pleased that you are well, Andelena, and offer every hope that your brother is, as well."

She looks between them all, expression and tone remaining flat and neutral. "I presume there is a plan of action, or the intent to organize such?"

"I'm assembling the Study Buddies," Magpie says, much more decisively and seriously than the title could ever hope to attain. "Jal'goroth's gone too far, and he needs to be put down. You and your wife are two of the best arcane minds I know. *Definitely* the best I can trust. We need to get as many as we can trust on this; the more libraries we can dig through, the better our chances are uncovering a weakness, or a way to end him that isn't the Ceslos Fallacy."

Andelena's eyes flicker with something when Verna offers her hope for her brother. She looks down at the table for a moment. "Gods. I hope so. Seb..."

She's lost in her thoughts for a moment, then she shakes her head and looks back up at the group. "I have that letter he sent still," she says, answering Dolan's question. "It's his handwriting. If a demon could mimic his handwriting then we're all kinds of fucked."

At once, Dolan reaches over to lay a hand on Andelena's armored knee beneath the table, shifting his leg to be closer to hers. "We'll find him. The letter will help. As soon as we get home-" He trails that off, but leaves the contact where it is, instead studying the other two. "The only way I know of to truly destroy a fiend is to follow it to its own plane and destroy it there. Lana says she's got something that can do it here, but I don't know how much I want to trust to that. I'd rather know about all of our options."

"There shall be no Study Buddies, Magpie," Verna informs her, though her eyes are not upon her. Instead, they flick to Dolan and Andelena... rather, their points of contact. "-My wife-," the term is more emphasized, "is currently in Quelynos. There, she is safe, and not the hindrance or distraction she claimed to be. There, she receives the attentions and affections she could not receive elsewhere. There, she acquires training and wisdom otherwise unavailable." She turns back to regard Magpie. "She shall be absent for some time, to her. For those of us here in Ea, such may be the passage of months, or decades."

After a pause for breath, she nods to Dolan. "Should a fiend be summoned, destroying its form only returns its essence to its own realm. It must be destroyed where it was formed, in most cases. This means we must locate Jal'goroth's stronghold, or that of its master, most likely. Then we must venture there to destroy one or both of them, utterly. What do you suggest to locate him? Scrying magic may prove useful, yet I expect would be warded against in any base of operations."

Andelena raises a brow to Verna's declaration regarding Auranar. "Huh," she says. She looks like she has questions about why, exactly, Auranar is in Quelynos--but that's prying. Prying which will get them no closer to the matter of the moment, which is Jal'goroth.

She looks contemplative regarding the matter of scrying. A contemplation that carries with her as she falls into silence.

And Verna gets a mulish look from Magpie. "The Study Buddies will *never* die, Verna. Even if Auranar can't help, there's a *lot* of people we can tap to do research! You, Telamon, Cor'Lana, Simony, all those people looking through all those libraries! *You* know that the best way to learn something obscure is to just scoop up as many books as possible!"

Waving her arms above her head, Magpie nearly lifts off her seat with the force of her exhortations. "So yeah. There's not much off the top of my head, but there's always *something* that can poke through their shells. We can go after V, but we *need* to take Jal'goroth off the table first, right?"

Dolan, too, looks up, his hand staying where it is on the silent Andelena's knee. "Yeah?" The lone brown eye blinks, confusion clearly written on the mobile side of his features. "I - hope she's safe." He leaves it at that, as Verna's closed tone makes it clear that the matter is none of his business, and demons and devils are the priority here.

"I was hoping Albus' book might tell us more," he answers to the question of how to locate the being. "Start there. I'll search the parts you copied out before, and see if relevant information is held there. It sounds to me, though, Verna, as if you may not be prepared to help."

Her moment of excessive description or exposition aside, Verna reverted to the topic and hand and appears to remain there. "Yes, there are many who can aid us, and some or all may well be necessary," she admits to Magpie before looking to Dolan as he offers a possible course of action. Initially, she nods in agreement with his line of thought. Until the last portion, where the motion halts abruptly. "I am as prepared and willing to aid as ever, Dolan. While I have not studied the tome in question to the degree of others, I hold some experience with tomes, magic, and fiends. I wish the matter resolved as rapidly and efficiently as possible. How might I assist?"

"Well we need a way to trace *back* to Jal'goroth," Magpie muses. "What links a demon to their minions? How do they get new orders? What's the stupid *money* really for?"

Looking to Dolan, Magpie nods. "I can do that too. Albus is a worrier, but we're pretty good friends, I can try to pick his brain too. But like... Verna, does your Temple have any lore? I know demons aren't really their wheelhouse, but, necromancy demons are a thing, right? I think I need to host a get-together. Just, all of us figuring out where best we can look."

Something inside Dolan that had pent-up at something in the Mourner's tone relaxes when she professes willingness to assist. "Good. You had me worried for a minute. Can you help Magpie?" he asks simply. "I can't touch that Albus book, and I think it's your best bet. I've got the copy, and I'll study that and the other resources I've got access to. It might be good for me to spend some time in the libraries for a little while, too." A long exhale accompanies that. "It'll keep me out of trouble."

Verna nods to each. "I am well, Dolan. You need not be concerned." Her tone remains as it has: neutral and flat. All is fine and well. "I shall study the book with Magpie's guidance." She pauses after, in a moment of consideration. "In addition, we may be able to learn more of its minions, the connection between, as well as the intent of the funds. Once likely source of funds, and possibly minions, is known to me. It could lead back to the fiend."

"Okay, then," Magpie says, clapping her hands. "I'll rent a venue and supply the snacks, so we can all get caught up and get ideas on where to look. And get ahold of everyone we need. ...And Dolan, I'm'a need to find a scribe with you guys so we can draw up a consultancy contract. I gotta be doing *a* job, even if it's not *my old* job. And, Verna?"

The gnome turns to the Vardaman, smiling gently. "I get it. I'm gonna miss her too. But if she's doing this cause she wants to, then I'm gonna cheer her on. Because it's what she wants, y'know?"

"Sounds good." Dolan's affirming, decisive nod to Magpie, and a squeeze on the silent Andelena's knee, makes a plan of the suggested arrangements. "I'll do some digging ahead of time and go through the Jal'goroth entries, bring those notes with me."

The switch back to Verna gets his attention, though, and something crystallizes in his brain. _Oh._ He scratches at his hairline. "Yeah. Sorry. I'll miss her too, but maybe it's not just about what she wants. Maybe it's about what she needs. There's a lot happening, and maybe the time away will help. We're still your friends, though."

"I can recommend an accomplished scribe with contractual experience," Verna offers, with more intended. Such is not voiced, however, at the unexpected shift to the prior topic not thwarting one or more fiends. She turns from them both, to face towards the door, followed a moment later with a long exhale. "Yes, it is what she wishes, and likely what she requires. I do not begrudge her any of that. Yet, yes, her absence is quite apparent."

She straightens, then. "I shall join you to study the book at your leisure, Magpie. Until then, I will learn what I may of other aspects to the fiends' interests and ties. If you would excuse me." Already facing the door, she then steps to it to exit the room.