When Alptraum finally emerges from the 'dungeon', a Yodhrephath waits for him (other than the two guards). "The High Priestess would like to see you," she informs him. She's one of the bigger ones, ands has some old scars so likely a sergeant or similar.

Alptraum arches his brow. "Er, did she give a reason? Have I done something wrong?" he inquires.

The Yodh looks confused for a moment. "She needs a reason?" she asks. "If so, she did not inform me of it."

"Well, there is usually a reason, yes. Let me get dressed and we'll go to her," Alptraum says, and heads to where he left his clothing to dress.

Once he's dressed, the Yodh marches out, apparently assuming he'll follow and keep up.

Alptraum rolls his eyes, and follows. "And here I was hoping you would carry me," he jokes as he follows.

"You didn't look injured," the Yodh notes. "If you want coddling, this isn't the place for it." She doesn't seem to have a sense of humor.. so yeah, probably a sergeant. She also doesn't ask any questions of her own.

"Yodhrephath worship Rephath," is the straightforward reply. "What do your worshippers offer or request of you?"

"That I don't come for them too soon, usually," Alptraum remarks and shrugs again. "Though Rephath herself has asked stuff of me from time to time. Not worship, mind, but unusual requests."

"I was never clear on the position of the Barsunala," the escort notes once they've reached the main level and turn to head toward Koldesh's suites. "I'm not a Lore scholar."

"Then I'll have to teach you sometime, when you least expect it," Alptraum remarks, dryly. He continues on, and ears flick to listen fro screams from Kolesh's quarters.

The soundproofing is pretty good, given that the walls are thick stone. The Yodh wraps twice on the door, loudly, then pushes it open. "The Barsunala," she announces, then turns to make sure Alptraum is actually there.

Alptraum has disappeared into the shadows, then appears out another on the other side of the Yodh. "Boo," he comments, to his escort, then walks into the room.

It's the antechamber used as a waiting room (or anxiety room, depending on why someone is waiting). There's an acolyte at the far end, who opens the doors to the actual office. The big Yodh just looks confused again. "Why did you make that noise?" she asks.

"When you figure that out, you will have gained wisdom," Alptraum remarks on the way to the second doors and the acolyte.

The acolyte smiles to Alptraum as he passes her. Koldesh is at her desk, which has a few scrolls and parchments spread across it. Each of the Temples has to keep their own records.. except maybe for the Yodhblakat. Even religion needs a bit of bureaucracy in Babel. "That will be all," Koldesh tells the acolyte, who closes the door behind Alptraum.

"Good evening, High Priestess," Alptraum says as he bows. "How may I be of service?"

Koldesh looks up, and asks, "Are you here to take those men off my hands now the Royal Mages have been foiled?"

"Unfortunately not, as they have long-range spells attached to them that link back to one of the royal mages. That needs to be undone first," Alptraum apologies and bows again.

"What?" Koldesh asks, giving Alptraum her full attention now. "I'd heard that Pancrazio was captured at the Coalition Tower. Is he the one involved?"

This makes Alptraum arch his brow. "Correct, that is who is involved, and he is linked to them by a subtle spell web", he replies.

"Seemed suspicious that he was captured, although I don't know the details of the capture," Koldesh notes, twirling her quill pen with her fingers. "He was handed over to us from the Tower guards, and we handed him over to the Mages. No mention of what it took to capture him alive."

"He's currently held in sort of a stasis prison so that he can't do anything. I don't really have any details on this capture, either," Alptraum admits. "But this weird spell-web has most concerned."

"A web implies a spider.. or a grabbit," Koldesh says. "What is it for, and what does it have to do with those men?"

"We have no idea for on both of those questions," Alptraum admits and shrugs. "Part of why I came here to was to determine how they were linked into the spell so that the mages can perhaps sort out what exactly the spell is for. All we know is we don't want to set it off."

"And the men with no pasts are all part of it, or just some of them?" Koldesh asks, running a hand through her short-cropped hair. "We still have them isolated, unless this 'web' can tell the Mages where they're located after all."

"It appears as if they are all a part of it in some fashion. I could not find a single one without the spell-thread attached to some part of them," Alptraum explains. "Each part and link is different."

"I have some history with Pancrazio," Koldesh says after a moment. "Back when the Sabaoth was still in charge, the Royal Mage would come here occasionally to pick through those we'd sentenced to death. He always took the youngest and fittest, and did something to them so they would become like sleepwalkers that did whatever he told them to. He'd take them right out of here and we had to cooperate."

"That ... bothers me on several levels. That you would help that man," Alptraum admits and rubs the back of his neck some. "Do you have any idea what he did with them after that? I can guess they were used for spare parts, but whatever else, no idea."

"They were rumors about what they did with them, including using them to breed horribs," Koldesh says. "Our vengeance might be severe, but we did not torture the condemned. The consequences of their actions where always put on public display, to discourage others from following similar paths. And under the Sabaoth, we could not defy his rule. He was the head of the Babelite religion."

"You don't have to justify anything to me. Yes, it does bother me personally, but I know how things were here and what was expected," Alptraum says and shrugs some. "And they might have been used to breed horribs, but I suspect it was something rather worse most of the time."

"I'm sure it has something to do with this web, but.." Koldesh says, "It bothers me that it is in place at all. It implies that whatever it is was planned for well in advance, but having those men rescued I can't see as having been anticipated."

"The prevailing theory is it is some sort of master escape plan so he can somehow survive. But, what that would possibly be, I have no idea," Alptraum admits. "The threads are linked to foreign tissue grafts in each of the men, much like how his body is patched together."

"Well, I can't think like an evil wizard," Koldesh admits. "I don't of anyone who can. But I would want to know more about his capture, and what we was trying to do at the Coalition Tower. If he had this is an 'escape' plan, it would have been better done when he knew he was going to be captured. No better way to fake your own death than by dying after all."

"I can't think like a sick, evil, bastard, so I have no idea what he was planning," Alptraum admits and sighs some. "They arne't rigged in anyway to act like bombs or anything destructively useful. And it's not like they're positioned in any way or spread out to make a large magic circle, so ... I don't really know."

"This is Babel," Koldesh points out. "There are plenty sick, evil bastards if you look hard enough. But the top-tier ones are dead or fled. The three-in-one set you brought in before seemed fairly in the dark about details didn't they?"

"Well, two parts did. The third seemed more in the know, but wasn't talking," Alptraum says. "Easiest would honestly be just taking everyone out in the wastes and just killing them all far from the city. But ... gah, I couldn't live with myself if I did that."

Koldesh seems to actually consider that for a moment. "You're the Barsunala," she points out. "Couldn't you kill them for just long enough to break the spell and then revive them?"

"Unless killing them is the trigger," Alptraum points out. "So, yes, I could, but that may not be a good idea. I could also try just eating the grafts, but again, it might trigger the spell. And I can't do them all at once, which I think is necessary in order to diffuse it."

"All at once would be tricky, certainly," Koldesh agrees. "Unless something else was in place to prevent the spell from.. realizing it. I doubt it would be something explosive though. I can believe Pancrazio having some sort of plan to save himself at the expense of others easily enough. But altering that after the men were captured? Unless he realized we hadn't killed them. I don't know enough about magery to say that's something that could be accomplished. But without knowing how he was captured this is all so much blindfolded dart throwing."

"I think he'd know if they were killed," Alptraum notes. "And I'm not sure knowing how he was captured would tell us much either. Who caught him?"

"I don't know who was directly responsible, or where exactly he was captured," Koldesh says. "Only that we picked up him up at the Coalition Tower. Who knows why one of the most wanted would go there. Maybe they had his diary."

"Or he intended to be captured as part of the overall plan," Alptraum notes, "Then it would make sense. Was it one of your group, though? Or the guards at the tower. It's not like many were involved in the defense."

"The Yodh are not allowed in the Coalition Tower except by special invite," Koldesh says. "Which means 'for parties' basically. The Coalition wants to maintain at least the illusion of a separation from the workings of government. We don't mind not having to deal with them, either. We had a small group stationed near the tower, which could be called in. So they were called in to escort the prisoner from the Coalition to the Mages."

"Then it's surprising those at the tower caught anything. That garrison was pretty sad," Alptraum admits and shrugs. "Also, not wanting to even be here."

"Well, I have dealings there, though mostly with Thath directly. If they were after the timestone dagger, I already have that. Not sure they had much of anything else of value. Though they couldn't use that dagger, either."

"Thath was also one of their targets though, isn't he?" Koldesh asks. "Although that could just be because Thath is always the target of anyone who escaped the Coalition purge."

"That is the target of anyone, since he's literally the most dangerous soul in Babel," Alptraum admits, "If he had a family, they'd probably be terrifying."

"Maybe he does," Koldesh says. "He was wed to a Yodhinala, and allegedly had an affair with a Yodhsunala after her passing. And likely any of the gaggle of women who caught the eye of the Sabaoth had to be checked out by the Grand Vizier first, lest they be poisoned or disguised Eeeps or something."

"They'd probably be universally hated if known, so best if he did that they remain anonymous," Alptraum admits.

"This is Thath after all," Koldesh says. "They'd be anonymous, well-trained and likely positioned in any household that needed looking after."

"But he's also the only one likely to have the full story on Pancrazio's capture," the High Priestess notes.

"Or they may not even know, and have been given away to be safe from their own heritage," Alptraum adds, then shrugs. "Maybe you are his daughter; you are ruthless enough."

"You're pretty ruthless, and smart. It wouldn't surprise me," Alptraum points out.

"Being High Priestess is not a pretty position," Koldesh claims. "Except perhaps for the High Priestess of Inala, but I'm sure she was quite ruthless as well."

Alptraum rolls his eyes. "In my experience, the least personable of any of the Sister's Yodh were the Yodhinala. And I'm serious. I don't see the attraction they had. All looks but with the worst personalities. How was that ever remotely attractive?" Alptraum points out.

"We don't breed for personality in Babel," Koldesh claims. "Not everyone could be such a sweetheart as myself, you know."

"I know you mean that as a joke, but I do actually find you attractive. You're at least real; you are who you are, and you don't apologize or put on pretenses," Alptraum comments. "I'll take that any day over a lithe, perfect, body."

"Have you ever met someone with a lithe, perfect body that you didn't want to strangle after ten minutes then?" Koldesh asks.

"Nope, she was, is, perfect. And she could kick both your and Rizalka's butts without even breaking a sweat," Alptraum claims.

This raises the Yodh's brows. "I'd like to meet her someday then. In Rephath's Lore is an entity called the Innocent. A daughter of Rephath, the only innocent being in all Creation. To be in her presence, a person's guilt would literally boil up out of their skin. No lie could be spoken near her. She was blind, deaf and mute, however, in order to protect her from corruption."

"The Countess Rosalind Draco. A woman to have held the Gallis army, and any other, from invading her lands through will and magic. She's cursed entire armies for daring to even try. The mention of her name elicits fear in many circles. The crimson-eyed shadow walker, her," Alptraum waxes. "And a very real person."

"And the Innocent sounds ... like a horrible person to have been. Lonely," Alptraum notes.

"A legendary figure fit to stand next to the Barsunala, from the sound of it," Koldesh suggests. "Well, the Lore doesn't go into what her personal life was like. Innocence isn't bliss, after all. In the version I heard, she was executed by the Sabaoth for heresy."

"Then she was probably real. He likely used parts of her in part of some spell. He did that with his own children, after all. Part of the old Tower substructure was maintained by the necrotic remains of one of his daughters," Alptraum notes. "It probably wouldn't phase most Babelites, but it was horrifying to me. Children are important; they are your legacy. To see them as tools and parts is difficult for me to even try and understand."

"Children are important in Babel, to the point that couples will go out of their way to have as many as they can afford," Koldesh says. "Not all of them biological. That sort of relationship isn't really important here anyway. For the nobles, it was all about forming ties to other families."

"Except the Sisters," Alptraum points out. "And I should go soon to try and track down how the mage was caught. Before you decide to put me in a dress, or something."

"Well, bring one next time," Koldesh says. "I can't just pull one out of storage."

"But you suggested it," Koldesh points out with a grin. "Wouldn't you rather wear a dress of your own choosing though?"

"Not really, as it encourages people to try and treat me like a woman," Alptraum comments, "And I have a hard enough time not thinking of myself as one as it is!"

"Because of how much more masculine the Yodhrephath are in comparison?" Koldesh asks, still with a grin. "You're handsome enough, but you could be cuter."

"You could be a bit more lithe," Koldesh suggests. "Maybe do something with your hair.."

"NExt you'll suggest I drink that hormone potion you give your Barephath," Alptraum jokes.

"Well, that's special and requires initiation rituals," Koldesh notes. "And you're a bit old to be taking it. Best started before puberty or soon after."

"I don't think you'd need any help managing the appropriate look," Koldesh says. "But.. can you dance?"

"Of course I can," Alptraum says, "And I can grow decent breasts and such too. Why am I even saying this?"

"We wouldn't need you to have breasts," Koldesh says. "What sort of male-dance can you do? For entertainment purposes?"

"I like having breasts," Alptraum remarks and even sticks out his tongue. "And I can do all sorts, down to strip teases and belly dances."

"Belly dances sound exotic," Koldesh says. "And my belly and those of several others are strong enough to support you."

You don't dance on someone's belly," Alptraum says with a laugh. "And I really should go before this gets any weirder."

"Well, tell me what you need then to perform, and I'll make sure it's ready for your next visit," Koldesh says.

"To see if I can manage to find everything, of course," Koldesh notes with a grin.

"Lesser or greater depend on who has the control," Koldesh claims. "And control can grow from desire."

Alptraum chuckles. "Anyway, I'm joking. I do need to go, though, and try and sort out this mage mess before something really goes bad," he admits.

"I'll keep up the isolation for the men," Koldesh says. "And tell their attendants to be extra watchful for any changes in behavior."

"I don't expect changes, but that is a good idea. We don't know what it is for yet, and maybe they'll suddenly explode into massive blood spider monsters and rampage," Alptraum remarks. "And before you laugh, I have actually seen that happen before Not here, but that sort of magic."

"Magic," Koldesh sighs. "At least miracles need devotion. If you're granted the use of one, you know it is deserved."

"The spider thing was granted by Dagh, the demon cat God/thing, so ... keep that in mind," Alptraum comments. "That happened when one of his minions got mad after I stole his pants. And no, that isn't a joke, it happened."

"Indeed," Alptraum laughs and waves. "I'll let you know if I learn anything interesting."

Getting in to see Thath is always complicated. Especially with all of the extra security. But Alptraum has a simple arrangement: he just needs to be on the 'top' of a particular tower that lost its original top to the Boomer, between certain hours of the night. And so he goes to the predetermined place at the predetermined time (and if nobody shows up, then he goes to the next tower in the sequence, and so on.) This time, someone does show up. Stiletto greets him when she lands. "Do you need to see 'im, or just pass a message?" she asks.

"Well, I need to get information about how the Royal Mage was captured at the Coalition tower. Not sure if that can be done in a message," Alptraum admits, "But if it can, I don't have to see him. If he'd rather not see me, that too I would understand."

"Oh.. well, he's the one that captured that guy, so you probably do want to talk to him directly," Stiletto notes.

"Yes, but I also don't wish to be a bother or cause complications, either," Alptraum says.

"I'm not sure what counts as a 'complication' to the old man," Stilleto admits. "But he'll probably want to know about the other mages and stuff. Can you turn into a chibix, or just big things? You could probably hide in my shadow I bet, but then that doesn't do a lot of good when flying."

"I'm pretty sure people would notice a dragon flying to the residence," Stilleto says. "Can you turn into me, by any chance?"

"Well, they know I've left, so expect me to return," Stilleto points out. "So if you can turn into me, you could go back and I'll just wait here."

"Okay, that I can do, I suppose. As long as it doesn't freak you out or anything," Alptraum remarks and sits down on his butt since this change requires more effort and focus. "Back in a bit," he claims, then disappears into a writhing mass of shadow ick.

By the time Alptraum is done with the transformation, Stilleto has already gotten out of her clothes so he can wear them. "Is that really how I look," she asks.

"Yes?" Faux-Stiletto replies as she accepts the clothing and is putting them on. "You look fine, I don't see the problem. I spend a lot of my time as a girl nowadays anyway, so I'm a bit used to it."

"It's just weird, I've never been able to see all of me before," Stilleto claims. "I suppose I look dangerous. Coiled. Ready to spring out like a hidden blade.."

"Or like a nice girl to take home to meet mom," Alptraum-itto jokes. "Now, if you want weird..." she starts, and ends with embracing the real one and snogging her deep. Nothing like kissing yourself.

"Well... never tried to kiss myself!" Stilleto admits afterwards with a big grin. "I'll wait here, don't do anything or anyone I wouldn't do."

"I don't know who you wouldn't do! So, I'll just do the entire household," the clone-of-Stiletto remarks and winks. She the salutes as she back sup towards the edge of the platform. "Into the abyss! Oh, wait, I prefer things in my abyss," she jokes and falls backwards into the darkness beyond the tower's edge.

Prime Minister's Quarters
Rank has its privileges, and the Prime Minister of the Coalition has a very generous house atop the Tower, overlooking the rooftop plaza and gardens. It isn't a stately mansion or palace, in accordance with the Coalition's new vision of Babel as being less of a playground for the nobility and more a city of 'attainable wealth' and meritocracy. Still, it has several suites, a small ballroom and many amenities.

Alptraum (disguised as Stilleto) can sense quite a few unseen guards atop the tower and the residence itself. Nobody comes forward to challenge him, but the main door is shut, until Stone-Will opens before the Eeee can knock.

"I need to see the boss," The faux-Stiletto tells the savanite. "Important matter."

Stone-Will doesn't step aside at the request. Instead he signs, "Password." Stiletto didn't mention anything about a password though.

"Funny," the bat remarks a bit dryly. "I have a request for information from the Barsunala regarding the conditions under which the royal mage was captured at the tower. It's imperative to know due to other matters that have come up around it."

"Smart boy," the bat comments, "You won't get snipped today." She punctuates that with a click of her teeth, then goes by.

She also gets a swat on what passes for a butt for the thin girl, then the door is closed behind her.

And she reaches back and grabs his crotch for that, and snorts! She does have to let go, though, so she can continue on.

She can tell that Thath is in his study, and the interior of the residence is otherwise uninhabited. There isn't any telltale scent of blood though.

The fake spy heads in the direction of the study. She doesn't enter, though, but instead knocks on the door politely.

The in-disguised finds this ... odd. But, she opens the door anyway and does enter.

Thath is at his desk. His left hand is bandaged, and he's wearing a wrap-around scarf for some reason. He looks up and says, "You're back sooner than expected, Reed. Did you run into trouble?"

"You'd have to as Reed that," the faux-Reed answers and shrugs as she tries to sense out if this person is real, or not. Those injuries are concerning; especially since the real Reed didn't mention them at all. "I'm just borrowing her look as I needed to speak with you in person."

It certainly feels like Thath's aura. "Ah, Alptraum," Thath says. "Have the Mages learned anything yet from Pancrazio?"

"Enough to be concerning. He's linked across a wide spread of spells to many others, and the reason is as of yet unknown," the slender Eeee explains. "We are concerned he intended to be captured, so we wish to know the circumstances of him being captured."

"Well, I can't say how he got as far as the door," Thath says, "but he had some sort of paralysis spell that he used on Stone-Will and Reed and myself as soon as he gained entry. Stone-Will doesn't remember opening the door for him, but Mind Mages can have that sort of effect."

"He found me in here, cut the back of my hand to draw some blood, and then fell into a trap," he concludes.

"You were injured," Reed-Part-Two comments. "How badly? And why the scarf? And why the blood? And why into a trap afterward? That does not follow."

"It is wise to know your enemies before they become your enemies," Thath explains. "I knew all about the weaknesses of every Royal Mage, and had plans to exploit them." He points to an expensive looking crystal decanter on one of the bookshelves, filled with a red-tinted amber fluid. "Pancrazio's weakness was expensive liqueurs. He couldn't resist toasting his own victory. I poisoned it of course. And I have developed considerable resistance to certain physical effects myself. I could half-way move, and he could half-way stay conscious."

"That ... still doesn't fully answer my questions," Reed-lite points out. She's admittedly finding this all very suspicious.

"We strangled each other until he passed out," Thath admits. "As for why he needed my blood, I do not know. Some sort of sympathetic magical purpose, I imagine."

"Which is the types of spells he has in place on himself between himself and the others," Reed-From-The-Mirrow points out, then fishes out the vial of goo she still had on hand in a pouch. Hopefully, it is still doing something, as she now wants to wave it around Thath.

It's lost most of its glow, and Thath has a bemused expression as it's waved about. There aren't any glimmers though, so if Pancrazio were trying tie Thath into the same web he didn't succeed (or have time). The others had actual flesh transposed though, not just blood.

"Well, it's about dead, so I can't be sure, but you don't seem to be tied into the same web," Reed-Of-The-Spires remarks after an extensive and pointless almost-poking. "I am not sure this helps much, unless his goal was to take over your body somehow."

"Or my mind," Thath says. "The assumption is still that he came seeking the dagger, the quickest way to get it would be to have me fetch it for him, and then conveniently die afterwards."

"But also too simple of an explanation for someone who has lived that long," Reedling remarks. "People that old like convoluted."

"People that old shouldn't be attempting these sorts of activities," Thath adds. "Either this was something that only he could do, or this was a desperation play. The Royal Mages would have been stretched rather thin to try and accomplish their goals here."

"I think there is more to it than that. It's too simple and poorly done, otherwise. This is not a stupid person, yet coming here waas stupid. My gut tells me there is more to it," Reedle-Peedle comments and sighs. She also taps her forehead. "What sort of trap actually caught him? Or was it him just passing out? You've sort of said both."

"The liqueur was the trap," Thath says. "The poison just wasn't strong enough to knock him out quickly, or he may have had some sort of enchantment to counter such a thing. I had not expected to have to physically interact with him. But even partially paralyzed, I was stronger."

The thin bat gives That a sort of sidelong look. "Mm," she remarks. "It all just seems too simple; it doesn't add up."

"What do you suppose is missing?" Thath asks. "I suppose knowing Pancrazio's true goals would help."

"If it was to just get your blood, there is no reason he would have had to come himself. And he doesn't seem that stupid, or that arrogant to do it just to do, to put it mildly, a display of dick waving," Reed MK2 remarks. "Now I'm beginning to wonder if we even did catch him. But that I pulled his mind elsewhere suggests he was caught."

"Yes, something I can do," Reed remarks and waves a hand. She walks over to the earlier indicated booze bottle to examine it.

"I don't recommend drinking any of that, or even sniffing it much," Thath says. There are some smudges on the crystal where it's been handled. Maybe Pancrazio was nervous and sweating though his pads. "What happened when you pulled his mind elsewhere?"

"Nothing much of help. He wouldn't give up any of his plans. Also, he was probably nervous when he was handling this. Or someone was," Reed comments, then rolls her jaw a little. "Why would he even be nervous? He believed he had control."

"Perhaps I am just that terrifying?" Thath suggests. "He may have been on the cusp of getting everything he wanted though, which could be part of it. Or nervous about what would happen if he failed."

"Mm, not the impression I got. He was the sort who's level of conceit would not allow him to even conceive of failing," Reed comments.

"Perhaps we should consult an expert in both magic and conceit then," Thath suggests.

"True. And I suppose that does confirm you are you, if you know about her," Alptraum-in-Girl admits.

"I doubt anyone could duplicate me in a believable manner," Thath notes. "Present company excluded, that is."

"Oh, I imagine some could, you are a large target for such things," Reed points out and waggles a finger at him. "It was just hard to believe he would have even gotten this close to you."

"Your security is lacking if he made it this far," Reed admits with a frown. "Granted, I once did too. Anyway, getting past your butler without being molested is challenge enough for anyone."

"I imagine there are still those in Babel, and the Coalition itself, which would turn the other way to let him pass," Thath notes.

"Anyway," Reed remarks, then has to concentrate to see if he can pull out the mini-secretary onto That's desk. Fun-sized.

Soon a miniature, cat-sized dragon appears on Thath's desk. Kaira looks Reed up and down, and says, "You've lost weight."

"Diets are all the rage. We need your input on a matter because you're a megalomaniac and such," Reed remarks a bit dryly. Then goes about explaining the mage that was captured, the odd threads, and him coming here to collect blood.

The mini-dragon's head sways back and forth like a metronome. "Nervous, but then calm and defiant," she mutters. "Kept barely alive, not even conscious.. hmmm. Life Magic. Well, I think that is the key."

Amelia says, "Life Magic," Kaira says. At that size, her voice has a bit of a squeak to it. "Or rather, the part of Life Magic that is hidden by the very name. Because Life Magic is also Death Magic, if applied differently.""

"Well, yes, stopping life causes death. That still doesn't really answer what he was doing. Or I'm just stupid. The latter is rather likely," Reed remarks and sighs.

"Well, who are this man's biggest enemies?" Kaira asks. "The new government and the Mages Guild, in that order I imagine. So, you can't go carrying some massive spell around because those things aren't very portable. But if you spread it out, say by attaching bits of it to different people, but not enough to be noticed, then you could probably pull it off. So, if I were someone who had revenge in mind, then I would have something in place that if I were captured, and would therefore be taken into one of the two enemies custodies, then I might have a massive death ritual ready, triggered perhaps by my own death and using the lives of the others connected to the ritual to take out my foes as a last gotcha."

"Which is what we theorized already, some sort of ritual triggered by another. Which is why no one has been killed to avoid triggering anything. The big question is how to undo it without triggering it," Reed says. "And we don't even know how big the radius is."

"Well, how many are connected?" Kaira asks. "I assume some of the mages involved in the raids have been killed, and nothing happened, but they actually could have been sacrifices to the ritual. Just not enough to set it off."

"That's quite a bit," the dragonet notes. "Usually you only need one or two orphans to power a big blood ritual. But a dozen, presumably adults.. that is a lot of juice. From Valantajr I know he's in a supposedly spellproof room, but that may only be good against new magic, not something like this."

"It's an old magic, yes. Sympathetic binding. That much was determined," Reed notes. "The question is, then, how to undo it without triggering it."

"Well, presumable if you remove the detonator, the bomb won't go off," Kaira says. "It's just a question of how the removal is handled. You can't just cut the fuses unless you can cut them all at once."

"We don't even know who the detonator is," Reed remarks. "The theory is, it is NOT the mage himself; too obvious."

"Well, he'd still need to be the focus in this scenario," Kaira claims. "The bomb, as it were. And he'd want some way of detonating it, unless he really does have it set to only trigger if he dies. That might explain the nervousness, but once he learned in he was in the suicide-bomb position he figured it would be best to try and piss off whomever he could to get the fuse lit."

"Which would mean he would know Thath would try to, and probably kill him," Reed comments and peers at Thath. "So, he never intended to survive."

"I think he did," Thath says. "They had a goal other than myself here. That still would have been Plan A. If that failed, then Plan B.. except he really did struggle to kill me first. He could have just drunk more of the poison."

"Then why get caught as plan B? We really need to know what their goal was," Reed says, and sighs. "I doubt it was hump the butler, either."

"Not dying here makes sense," Kaira counters, and starts pacing back and forth across the desk. "It depends on what kind of death ritual it is," she claims. "If it went off here, there'd be Thath and those nearby. There's always a limit to range, unless it's meant to be a chain reaction. Like a nuclear bomb.. which probably doesn't mean anything to either of you. So, you have a dozen sacrifices, and yourself, to power this ritual. But, if there are enough people close by, maybe they then become sacrifices that pump the ritual up even more. They get it to spread far enough catch the next batch of victims."

"Could they include people not not already tied into it?" Reed quires. "Because right now there are just two locations they are at."

"I don't think ordinary people would be good enough as sacrifices," Kaira says, looking to Reed. "Aside from the original ones that are part of the ritual, it would spread best if mages were the ones exposed to it. They could amplify it before they died, so it would be more like a hydrogen bomb! Errr, a bomb that uses a big bomb as its trigger for an even bigger explosion." She makes vague gestures with her forepaws as she tries to explain it. "So.. yeah. He's probably where he needs to be to cause the most damage. Death Magic isn't always just zap, you're dead. It could be like a disease. Or.. zombies. Zombies are classic."

"What about Yodh? The largest group are held by the Yodhrepath, which do have a mage, and a others capable of wielding magic," Reed inquires. "And none of this really tells us how to undo it. Maybe we should just ship them all to a magic null zone."

"Yes, something done by powerful Earth Mages, although usually it requires Life Mages as well," Thath explains. "But.. they need to be able to affect the target, and being in an anti-magic cell would no be helpful."

"If I shadow-encase someone, it sort of suspends them too," Reed explains, "Though I can't keep that forever, I can hold one person a while."

"Not sure if eating them like that counts as them dying, either," Kaira notes. Then she tilts her head to one side.. then the other.. then back again. "You kenned some of the sacrifices, didn't you?" she asks.

"A weird thought," Kaira says. "If you could ken just the parts that aren't connected to the ritual, then use that template to transform the person, would it sever the connection?"

"I have no idea. I don't even know if I can get that specific," Reed admits. "And what if it set off the spell in the process?"

"Wellllll," Kaira goes, looking a bit evil. "Maybe don't disconnect it, just move it to something else. Like the dagger. Of course, you'd want to evacuate the Mages Guild first. But it would let us really examine the connection. Where any of them to non-critical bits?"

"It was a lot of random bits. Some seemed critical, others not so much," Reed notes. "And only the mage is at the guild, all the others are at Mount Rephath.

More pacing. "I still think the mage himself is the bomb," Kaira says. "Since he couldn't know where the sacrifices might be.. as they were originally all together locked away under a mountain.. it seems unlikely any of them would be the bomb. Logically. But this is all just conjecture without being able to study one of those connections."

Reed sighs and rubs her face. "I can take you to one of the connections later, if that will help," she says, sounding rather exasperated.

"Yes!" Kaira says, hopping a bit. "Also make sure the Mages Guild can be evacuated. Just in case."

"Unless there's a way to make the whole building move outside of the city?" she asks, looking to Thath.

"Ah, too bad," the dragon notes. "But, you should probably talk to Sunala about all of this too, Alptraum."

Reed just looks at Kaira. "Who do you think the FIRST person was consulted? And was there at the mage interrogation," she says. "Look, I know I'm a country bumpkin, but I'm not totally stupid."

"I meant about potential Death Magic," Kaira says. "One-on-one, family visit style.."

"I mostly want to do SOMETHING soon, other than just go around talking to people and getting nowhere," Reed complains.

"Eating him would probably work," Kaira notes. "I doubt any of the links would penetrate into the dagger, and if he did go off.. well.. everyone there is already dead."

Reed nods, "But, remember when I said I wouldn't eat people like Vorg does? This is treading a line I do not want to cross."

"How about just stabbing him?" Kaira asks. "He'd still blow up, but in more useful way! Probably."

"Yeah, no, maybe. Actually, I know what I need to do. If this magic predates common, I need to talk to Nala," Reed remarks. As she comes from the period that predates it.

"Life, Death and Rebirth certainly seems like a possible source of information," Thath agrees.

"Given I have direct access to the Light of Nala, contacting her should be possible," Reed claims. "I am a veritable museum of lost artifacts."

"Found," Kaira corrects. "Found artifacts. If they were lost you wouldn't have them in a museum."

"Perhaps she will become an exhibit someday," Thath says over the dragon to Reed.

"Using life to counterbalance death seems a valid option," Thath points out. "I do not take the dragon seriously, although I can't dismiss her suggestion of what the distributed ritual might be for."

"Since it is my city at stake, perhaps I should be part of the conversation then," Thath agrees.

"I thought she was Aeztepan," Thath notes. "Hard to keep track of which Pantheon is which at times, with all of the interweaving Lore."

"She fought against them. May have originally been one. I just know she opposed Amena/Amenlichli," Reed says, "And was a real person way back when."

"Something which inspired the High Princess," Thath notes. "It explains why our deities seem to share our flaws."

"Because they reflect us, good and bad. I wish there were more good, but maybe someday," Reed says and sighs. "I suppose that at least is a plan. I will try to invite you into the meeting with Nala. But, I don't know if all your wards here would prevent it or not."

"Magical wards are not often effective against divine miracles," Thath says. "Plus we two are connected by blood."

"Since when do you depend on just mere magical wards, hmm?" Reed points out. "I bet your chamber walls are lined with Thistlebark panels, and the outside stucco has warning engraved right into the surface," Reed notes.

"Spikes," Thath says. "The walls around the windows are covered in very small spikes. They are coated regularly with a poison of my own formulation. Especially after it rains. All the plants at the base of the walls need to be replanted then."

"That works against physical threats, though. Not magical or undead," Reed notes.

"I have not been visited by any murderous spirits," Thath notes. "And coating an entire room with thistlebark would be very expensive. I have it woven into my clothes instead."

"Can you move through walls? Does your presence cause a chill?" Thath asks. "This little dragon is a spirit. You are quite alive."

"Anyway, I'll have to arrange the Nala visit with a friend who holds the light. Shoudln't take long, though," Reed says.

"But you aren't dead, nor conjured by a Spirit Mage," Thath says. "And you haven't killed me yet."

"And I appreciate that," Thath says, giving a little nod. "When do you expect to summon me to Nala? I should probably be lying down for it."

"Well, when do you normally sleep? That would be the most convenient time," Reed answers.

"Now who has been spreading the rumor that I ever sleep?" Thath asks. "But for this occasion, I will retire once you have left."

"It helps to keep people guessing about when you do it though, or how much you need," Thath advises.

"Well, I'm sure that does help with getting to sleep," Thath admits. "I haven't slept well in a very long time."

"Doesn't mean I sleep well. Anyway, let me go track down Nala's handler and set up the discussion. At least then whe might know a little more about what this spell can do given it probably is old magic. And the best ways to disrupt it safely. Maybe. Hopefully. Who really knows," Reed sighs.

"An Olde God to undo Olde Magick seems worth trying at least," Thath says. "Better than trying to eat the problem."

"And see how successful dragons are?" Kaira claims. "You're vampires. That's practically the same thing."

"And you've got a little bit of dragon spirit inside of you," Kaira counters. "Well, Thath does. You have a good bit more right now."

"Yay?" Reed comments. "Well, I'd best be off before it gets to be weird having me in Reed's body, sort of."

"I assume Reed is still out there somewhere, wearing your clothes?" Thath notes.

"Of course. I didn't eat her, I like her. And I know she is sort of my adopted sister," Reed-clone admits. "Though she has no idea we are related."

"Oh, for a moment I thought you were related to Reed, and your family tree is already a bit confusing," the dragon says, sounding relieved.

"No, Reed was adopted by Thath. And I'm fairly sure he considers her like a daughter," Not-Reed comments and gestures towards Thath. "Though he could never claim nor admit it."

"Such things can come back to bite you in the neck if you admit to them," Thath says.

"Or get those you care about killed," Reed-lite says. "I understand distance you have to keep, and it is done because you care, not because you do not."

"Maybe? I can call you any time, though. Eve when you're on a toilet," Reed claims.

"Hmmm, I'll be in my treat-with-deities mode until then, I suppose," the dragon sighs. "And she'll probably be one of those grass-skirts and seashells types in the end."

"Or die trying! But, I'd rather figure it out," Reed claims, and sighs. "Also, I apologize for anything I may do to torment your butler later."