quest/src/epistolary/00039.md

title	created	updated	syndicated	public
00039	Sat, 19 Nov 2022 07:38:02 -0700	Fri, 25 Nov 2022 07:11:12 -0700	yes	yes

00039

Alex silently observes the party and this foolish hobbit, before him three untouched drinks have accumulated. He's a little less enthusiatic about taking drink from strangers, too much risk in that. As Blavin describes this crystal, whatever it may be, he catches a glimpse of the pinkish purplish armband on the party across from them. They don't look out of place given the patrons at the tavern, but he's certain they were listening in on the animated conversation of the hobbit. It could be nothing, or it coule be connected to Corraidhin, best to put a bug on them Alex thinks.

Silently beneath the table and out of site Alex prepares a bug and sets it off to follow the person with the armband. Once the bug catches up to the part it's programmed to perform a tcpdump and capture information streaming around it, and then report back to Alex once full. By no means a perfect method of spying, but it's low energy and can be maintained from great distances without taxing Alex's energy.

As Blavin comes back to the group from his grandoise space commentary Alex begins to question him.

Enough of your theatrics hobbit. Tell me about the mark, you've obviously tipped off the entire tavern as to the whereabouts of whatever it is you're looking for, so give us an edge, something those evesdroppers a table over don't have. And cut this tripe about your benefactor, who is he, and what does he want with this magical baubbles.

As Alex finishes his questions he sits quietly for a moment staring down Blavin.

During this outburts, as all eyes turn to Blavin for his response, Alex casts yet another bug. This one sneaks onto the personage of Blavin himself. Programmed the same way.

We'll get information from someone, subtle, or not if needed.

~

Inky watches with faint amusement as a magical device, likely a probe, found its way onto their mission handler.

Inky might have missed the slight movement under the table if they weren't waiting for it, having received word of the younger wizard's penchant for pre-emptive offence magic. As it were, the offices and surrounding premises were routinely swept for similar devices, a more recent example of which had been placed in plain sight by an overzealous tabloid writer hoping to pick up an exclusive reveal. The quality of the contraption, which had immediately fallen apart when detached from its gum adhesive on the back of a glass vase, had been almost insulting.

It seems Blackfoot hadn't learned his lesson after all, and if Alex was keen to give him a reminder, Inky had no objection. As Blavin takes another swig from his sixth drink of the evening, the waitress smiling at him with a wink as she set down their glasses before skating away to take another order (Inky made sure tip her liberally for the attentive service), Inky let their line of sight flicker to a fuchsia-coloured band on a departing customer's arm.

Inky smiles internally at the sight — they can almost hear Beaker's crow of dismay. The poor kingfisher had been under increased pressure of late from other scientific associations and prominent speakers to exclude BAND from presenting at one of the largest annual ornithology conferences of the year on accusations of spreading misinformation and junk science in addition to attempting to erase the history of native bird tribes. There had been a huge row, which ended with the BANDits storming off, yelling about "the proof being crystal clear" and that they will bring "ancient arcane evidence". The Alcedinian researcher had lamented the halcyon days when conferences were avenues for scientific exchange, not twittering soapboxes. Not that anyone who had ever tried to arrange any gathering of birds of a feather really thought things simply glided along smoothly before. However, the advent of dedicated carrier pigeon networks had made it easier to relay research to and from smaller communities, opening the pathways for their participation, including a few somewhat Controversial fringe groups like BAND.

Alex attempts to shake down the hobbit, who titters merrily at his demands.

"You know nearly everything I do, dear! Your mark as you put it," Blaven theatrically drops his voice as he looks around for eavesdroppers, "would be the zephynos of Kelsun Peak should you choose to go that route.

"If you choose to go to the moon, you'll have a harder go of it," he frowns. He flips the map over and draws four circles in a straight line. They have the proportions of a grapefruit, an orange, a tangerine, and an orange. He jabs a finger at the grapefruit. "This is us, here, earth." He points at the two oranges and the tangerine. "And these are our planet's moons." He points to them in order. "Selene, the Green Lady. Moonmoon. And Lua, the Red Lady. Recently, as you well know, we had a super eclipse in which these four bodies and the sun all lined up in perfect alignment. The combined magnetic pull of the spheres allowed a rare commingling of the ionic spheres, and our instruments were able to detect the crystal somewhere out there in space. If I were to bet on it, I would put my money on Lua." He points to the farthest moon, the Red Lady, with its own tiny satellite, Moonmoon. He looks up at you and explains, "She's far enough away that her ionosphere would never make contact with ours except for in this particular, rare circumstance. That's why the crystal has escaped our detection for so long."

"As for the Benefactor!" He brightens up. "He's a magnificent fellow as you well know! A renowned collector. His wishes are to preserve the crystals and protect them (and us!) from their misuse or mishandling! He has a hot tub!" he winks at you. "Speaking of crystals," he adds as an afterthought, taking another sip of his drink, "why don't you hand that crystal over to me and I'll deliver it to the Benefactor. That is what he's paying you for after all!"

The Ornithologer's Trio leaves Lucy's Basement quite oblivious to their bug. The Ornithologer turns out to be the orator of their little group, ranting about the conspiracy, the attempted cover up, about how Big Science wants to convince you that birds are dinosaurs but they're just pulling the wool over your eyes. The truth is right there in the fossil record for crying out loud! All you have to do is look for yourself. Nobody these days wants to think is the problem. They just get their information from the authorities and take it as gospel, but they don't see that the authorities have adopted a narrative that suits their own ends.

At which point the groll interjects and asks what is the end goal of Big Science, and how exactly does convincing the proletariat that birds are dinosaurs help achieve it?

The BANDit scowls and answers, Look, you just don't get it, okay!

The three split up and go their separate ways and disappear into the night.

You learn the following, one of which is true, one of which is false, and one of which is meaningless.

1. BAND plans to intercept the CRYSTAL of VOID and use it to petition the Insatiable Wyrm for definitive proof that Birds Are Not Dinosaurs. In this way they shall shame their fellow paleornithologists and earn their rightful place at the table of Big Science, which they have spent decades undermining.

2. The Gnu Zealots intend to reverse engineer the power of the crystals, create a newborn godling, and then release their findings, thus laying the foundation of the world's first truly open source religion

3. The trio seeks the crystals not at all, but in fact search for Sitopotnia, creator and progenitor of the entire amaizeon race---including corbits, aurs, centaurs, and others---and the only mortal in the history of Basmentaria to successfully take the mantle of creation from the overgods.

Meanwhile, Blaven slips out into the early, early morning carrying his own bug. He whistles tunelessly to himself as he sails down the street with a wide and veering but surprisingly steady gait.

Once he gets a few blocks away, his gait narrows and his step becomes more lively, a bit jaunty. He stands upright and ceases whistling. All signs of drunkenness disappear as he tugs on his sleeves and straightens his vest, and runs a hand through his hair.

He meets a goblin catcher in the street going the other way, wearily making his way home after a long night's work. He wears a tiny goblin in a glass jar around his neck, as is the signifier of his trade. And he carries over his shoulder a large cloth sack, the contents of which writhe and kick. Looks like it was a productive night for our goblin catcher! Blaven gives him a little bow and a salute, laughs, and pats him on the back in passing, deftly transferring the bug. "Good night for it then ey?" he calls cheerily. The goblin catcher smiles politely, mumbles a nicety, and carries on.

Later, hidden safely away from spying eyes and listening ears, Blaven sits at his desk, putting the final flourishes on a missive. He sits back and re-reads it to himself, lips moving silently. He nods and smiles, satisfied, and reaches for a stamp to sign the letter. He presses it into a dark red ink pad and then onto the parchment, leaving the image of an apple and iris. He sands the paper, carefully folds it, and places it in an envelope.

WHAT DO YOU DO

Note: Feel free to back up and play out some more conversation at Lucy's before Blavin leaves if you want to.

Options on the table:

• To the mountains!
• To the moon!
• Something else!

www