Quests & Challenges

I may send some examples through messages. Anyways, I've been loving the locke so far! I got sorta sidetracked when rereading an old story, but I'll catch up soon! I'm already liking Zylen a lot.

[center][b]Day 63[/b] [item=Giant Feather][/center] Clancy and Jeremiah returned the following morning. It was a breath of fresh air to Zylen after yesterday’s grim discussion and yet another death in the manor. Seeing Clancy in high spirits helped as well, the Pearlcatcher full of energy and beaming as she caught sight of him. Both eager to discuss their mission, they called everyone they could to the dining hall for an early lunch, ready to explain what happened. Jeremiah started, not as vividly excited as Clancy, but enthusiastic, “Alright, so you know how we were told to explore an area ravaged by Luminax?” There were silent nods from his coworkers, “Well, turns out we were greeted by some of the Institute’s staff upon exiting the portal! Along with their two representatives there was also a small group of Fire and Plague dragons to keep us safe while out exploring.” He rambled on some about how cooperative and nice the two institute members were before Micah interrupted, having been scribbling down the story, “Did you ever get their names?” “Oh yeah! Forgot about that. The Ridgeback insisted on being called Dr. Evans but his first name was Maddock. His Obelisk colleague was named Bliss, but she never provided a last name. Both were wonderful and it was very nice to have them around.” “How was the journey to the ruined clan?” Elanor questioned next, “Such high spirits don’t come about from bad news.” She chuckled, taking a sip from her cup of tea. The act reminded Zylen of his own, and he reached for his cooling mug, downing almost half of it. “That’s because our destination wasn’t a clan!” Clancy blurted out, grinning and practically jumping out of her chair, “Luminax’s weight was enough to shift a massive patch of loose earth, which uncovered the remains of an ancient settlement! We and the two institute members were going to be the first to examine these in-depth to determine who may have built them and what it likely contained. You know, before archaeologists got around to digging it up properly” “Then why the Fire and Plague dragons?” Zylen spoke his question aloud without a second thought, mentally answering it moments afterwards. It didn’t stop Jeremiah from taking over the conversation once more, “That’s where the rot problem comes in, as well as another reason as to why we were there. Soon after being uncovered, the area was covered in an unknown fungus and there were reports of highly venomous insects swarming the area soon after. No one was going to approach until it was cleared.” “So, that group was called in not only to protect us, but to systematically burn down the entirety of the area so it would be safe for future excursions. However, we were informed by Dr. Evans that Sailed made a last-minute request for us to recover samples from the site. We’ll show those, but one thing at a time.” Suddenly the Banescale turned to Zylen, the Fae taken off-guard by the attention, “You know when we came across that art installation? How the area was eerie and strangely quiet? Well this area was quite similar. No wildlife daring to approach, the air still and heavy, ground barren of life? This was more or less the same, but with these weird rust-colored mushrooms. They were the weird gross kind that didn’t have a solid smooth shape but instead were lumpy and almost appeared to be melting on larger specimens. And the air wasn’t exactly silent as there was the buzzing of flies, but nothing but us dared to approach.” “We had members of the squad collect samples for us, handing some to institute staff for the Professor and the rest to us. After talking to them about Apollyon, they advised he handle the material. I agreed, and I recommend Mariela also be close in case of the worst.” Jeremiah turned to the Pearlcatcher seated next to him, “Care to show off the samples?” “Of course!” Pulling out a small bag and setting it on the empty space next to her, Clancy then pulled out a series of three jars. Two held the aforementioned mushrooms, one dried and dead, the other retaining some life in what was likely some form of enriched soil for it to remain alive in. The third wound up catching everyone’s attention as it was pulled out, its contents drastically different from the prior two. Fruitlessly clambering on the side of the glass was an arthropod of some kind. Too many legs to be an insect or arachnid, it scrambled to find a way up for a few moments before sitting still. Carefully pulling the jar closer to the others, Zylen was able to make out the mottled green and brown carapace, segmented into four parts. The head’s shape reminded him of a spider, but adorned with four antennae and two large compound eyes accompanied the venom-laced fangs and haired mandibles. It’s body was short and squat save for the abdomen, which was long and thinned out, ending in some sort of stinger. Sixteen thin legs connected to the body segments, with the first two pairs slightly longer and ending in pinchers for grasping. The group took turns observing the strange creature before leaving it and the other two jars with Apollyon, who cautiously removed the lid from its enclosure. Attention drawn away from the returned members, the Spiral quickly shifted his gaze to get as many angles on the creature as possible. He then held the lip of the jar to his ear, twitching as he listened for something. Eventually he set the container down, gently prodding at the creature with his unused knife. As he spoke up, he remained staring at the creature, “Handle relics. Not organics. Not creatures. Want me to keep alive. Or?” Head remaining still, his eyes shifted upwards, “Hate to kill. Strange creature. Unknown creature. Worth study. Better alive than dead.” Clancy sighed, “Up to you. The institute members were keeping theirs for a live study, but being able to provide more anatomical details via some form of an autopsy would be nice. I was more wondering if you could help with the mushrooms. They’ve proven far more deadly.” “Alright,” he sealed the jar once more, “Continue report. What of ruins?” “Oh right! The relics we found!” Clancy laid out a few small pieces of stone and pottery along what appeared to be an ancient metal bracelet of some sort, still adorned with jewels. Of course it looked its age in how it was tarnished and dull, jewels having lost their luster long ago. With time it could be restored some, but in its current state it was far from pristine. She arranged the pieces in a small circle, again allowing for her coworkers to get a better view. “We obviously found very little on the surface, but this was what I was allowed to bring back. Jeremiah and I deduced that none of what we found was abnormal, so I thought these would serve as good additions for the archives. Especially should Saile request us to return.” She held up the largest piece of stone, revealing a far more recognizable shape as she oriented it, “Got the head of an Imperial here. Missing the horns, but the rest is intact. After discussion with Dr. Evans and Bliss, and looking over what little we were able to recover, we came to the same conclusion. This and the paired Pearlcatcher head were likely part of a much larger tympanum sculpture. And from what we gathered, it’s likely this building served as a place where Imperials and Pearlcatchers cast aside their differences to congregate together. For what reason we don’t know, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for future developments. Buildings such as these, especially old ones, are a rare find. I’d love to hear more about what they find.” “I’m glad you’ve found something to be passionate about,” Elanor chimed in gleefully, “After everything you’ve needed something to keep you distracted and happy.” Clancy sighed, body relaxing, “No kidding. New pieces-” A loud crash interrupted the Pearlcatcher as an injured member of staff rushed in, “It’s coming! Help me!” They desperately called out, breathing heavily they collapsed, Mariela rushing to their aid and calling for Howl to help out. Moments later their pest rushed in, ignoring the chaos and moving directly towards Apollyon. Expecting an attack the Spiral flared out his wings, coiling up and away from the hostile beast before releasing a ghastly sound that Zylen could only describe as a mix between a hiss and a shriek. Unphased the doll host jumped onto the table, returning with its own chittering shriek as it snatched the jarred samples. It attempted to escape afterwards, lashing out defensively as Howl's claws met its fabric skin, tearing open parts of it. Uninjured it darted back into the halls and out of sight in seconds, gone as fast as it arrived. Mariella rushed the injured staff member into the infirmary, Clancy providing additional support in carrying them. Their fate unknown, Zylen and the remaining members stood in silence as they processed what had happened. Micah’s shuffling of paper pulled them all out of the daze, “I’m sure that was a lot, but nothing will get done if all we do is stand around slackjawed. We have work to do, and whether that’s following up the attack or our personal tasks, we need to get on it.” “Right. Howl follow.” Apollyon began for the door, pausing to practically glare at Zylen, “Tomorrow.” He pointed to him, Elanor, and Micah, “You three. Private dining room. Need to talk. About pest.” “What about them?” Zylen’s fans lowered in concern. “Pest is smarter than thought. Not good. Not good at all.” ------------ @Galehaut @TrashMomma @Spectator @megara17 @Jetdrana @CirrusAscending @Tynethyne @Drachenschwinge @nekopallet @MisterMylez Another fun development! Jeremiah and Clancy are back now, which I'm glad about. Also got to reveal that local pest has at least one brain cell and is making the most out of it, so that's gonna be something noteworthy going forth. Other than that, not much else to add. Pretty "boring" day by Pinkerlocke standards. However, it is technically another 7 days down in terms of the Pinkerlocke's timeline, so here's a document update! [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/537779856474243072/870145813513371688/Screen_Shot_2021-07-28_at_11.28.26_PM.png[/img] I broke 100k words yesterday and today I broke 250 pages! This is such a fantastic milestone to break through, and I can't wait to write more.

[center][b]Day 64[/b] [item=Shed Cobalt Scale][/center] Zylen woke to the sounds of a commotion outside his room. Unable to make out the topic of the conversation, he took time to put on something casual, stepping to greet the staff. They wasted no time in explaining the task at hand, as everyone in the manor was putting aside daily activities in an attempt to locate the various holes caused by the pest. Tired of attacks, injuries, and deaths, they hoped to locate their nest as well in the process. Even Howl and the others were busy aiding in this hunt, exploring their offices and surrounding areas. Dismissing them back to their work, the Fae personally didn’t want to bother joining them. Patched walls would only work for so long, and the creature would simply make more. He also held doubt at locating the pest’s personal ‘room’ in the manor. If it could traverse the walls, it likely had located some sort of secret room by now that no one had stumbled into yet. Possibly multiple rooms. He’d rather focus on his promised meeting with Apollyon. He spent the morning hours tending to the library, cleaning up a mess of books he had left the night prior. Not wanting to risk losing sleep over organizing the entire thing, he abandoned the cluttered table full of hurried stacks of titles, leaving them for now. A wise choice as he found a plethora of jumbled genres as he got to work. Fortunately, or likely unfortunately, the endeavor failed to uncover more of the mysterious works. He thought he caught a trend after grabbing two from the last disorganized set of shelves, but it was beginning to look like he was going to have to stick to finding them as he continued his catalogue. After an uneventful lunch, he prepared to meet Apollyon and the others in one of the private rooms of the ballroom. Not after informing the Spiral that he needed to grab something before meeting up. Forgetting about the key and note he had found, it was important that he share the find with the others. A short trip to his room’s hidden cubby and he tucked both safely in his pouch, briskly pacing himself back to the ballroom. Upon noticing Micah was missing, he addressed the room about it, “Our scribe not coming or is he running late?” Apollyon shook his head, “In infirmary. Injured by pest. Tried to harm them. Succeeded in attack. Pest didn’t like. Lashed out and hurt. Howl nearby and protected Micah. Howl hurt pest’s fake body. Will not be here. Needs to recover.” Zylen nodded in acknowledgement, “Thanks for letting me know. Am I to write today’s discussion for him to read then?” There was nodding from the both, and Elanor procured the paper and ink to be used. “Alright, I’ll do my best to meet his expectations.” “As if you could,” Elanor joked, “You know he’ll find something to grumble about since you aren’t a ‘properly trained writer’ like he is.” “Before Apollyon starts though, I want to get this dealt with,” he located and placed the key on the table, passing the note to the Tundra. “I wanted your guys’ opinion on how I’m supposed to interpret this. There’s nothing on the maps hinting at anything writing there. And what little I remember reading from Darryn hasn’t proven helpful either. Was thinking maybe one of you two have stumbled across anything.” “Well,” Elanor fumbled with the key in her claws, “Based on its size the key belongs to a room of similar size to the ones for medium breeds, specifically the smaller end. It’s also an older key, meaning it undoubtedly belongs to some sort of secret held within the manor. Whether a locked door or some sort of safe, it’s not going into rooms we can see walking around.” During this, Apollyon had snatched the note, eyes darting up and down the words in a way that suggested he wasn’t reading it as intended. The Spiral did pause to read it in full after some time, sliding it back to Elanor as he finished. He didn’t hesitate to voice his idea, “Maybe basement?” “What makes you say that?” Zylen knew what was mentioned in the note, but nothing suggested the answer lay in the same area as the archives. Then again, his audience both worked there so they had a better understanding of the area. “Mention of a winding passage. Mention of earth. Mention of below us. All hints but not direct. Reader supposed to know location. Not meant for us. Meant for past member. But who?” Elanor tagged in with her idea this time, “Zylen, is this Darryn’s handwriting?” she questioned. He thought a moment, “...Yes. Now that I think about it, there was a reason I recognized it. That’s almost certainly why. What’s your idea then?” “What if it’s for an assistant?” She asked, staring his way, “Not necessarily Yule either. Based on the office space and side rooms, I’m certain more were employed to help him.” “That makes a lot of sense considering Apollyon’s contribution.” agreeing, he put it in his own words for writing along, “If this key does belong somewhere in the basement, those that work there would know about what it went to. And whatever was inside was important to all of them to the point of needing to hide it from staff. On top of that, it was hidden on the floor Micah and I have rooms on. Meaning the assistant meant to find this was a small breed. That, or it’s a spare of some kind, a duplicate made should something happen to the dragon holding the original key.” As he finished taking turns writing down everyone’s thoughts and opinions on the matter, Zylen returned to the reason they had gathered in the first place. He pointed his pen at the Spiral, “So Apollyon, what did you have to tell us about the pest.” “Going to make it short.” The spiral took out a small glass frame, a single butterfly pinned on the inside of it, “First, pest is insect. Or at least terrestrial arthropod. Has shell. Probably many legs. Maybe antennae. Maybe wings. Hard to tell with doll disguise.” He tapped the glass, “Thought pest acted on instinct. Attack to feed. Fight back threats. Grab materials for nest. Explore territory. The expected.” “However,” he carefully broke the glass in the frame, picking away at the broken shards, “I was wrong. Yesterday proved that. Remember small creature?” He waited for their nods before resuming, “Thought of using as lure. Made chittering noises. Not unlike pest. Could draw them out. Could capture and kill. Thought I was safe in dining hall. Numbers aren’t threat. But yesterday. Yesterday pest proved otherwise.” Zylen caught on to what the Spiral was implying, “An insect wouldn’t risk its life for another of its kind. Maybe if it were threatened like in the past, but that’s for itself. This was a risk they took for one reason or another. It heard this creature in distress and thought to save it. Not only that, but it planned out a course to safely rescue it.” He paused, remembering another detail, “And when it found three jars, it didn’t expect that. Instead of looking for whatever one had the creature in it, it took all three and ran, ensuring it grabbed what it was after and got out safely.” Apollyon’s expression lit up briefly, “Yes! You get it!” He clasped his claws together in an expression of joy, but moments later his face and body language were back to their usual neutrality. “Pest is smart. What staff does now pointless. Pest make more holes. Pest avoid old ones.” “But what about us?” Elanor challenged, “And staff? I know it attacks to feed but shouldn’t it be far less often than it has been? One dragon body should sustain it for a while.” “I don’t know,” he responded bluntly, “Still trying to figure out. Only know pest is smart. Don’t know what it’s doing.” “I understand,” the Fae nodded, thinking about the creature’s motive for staying around, “Certainly if it houses some intelligence it would know to leave the manor. There’s far more food outside than in here. Sure there’s more threats, but it’s far less likely to run into dragons that will attack them. It’s still here for a reason and we don’t know why.” “Why I ask you three.” Apollyon turned to Elanor, “Look for past reference. Afraid might be tied to Darryn. Might not be. I search Reliquary Room. Might be related document. Zylen,” the large eyes bored into his own, “Look for books. Maybe on plagues. Maybe on wildlife. Maybe on legends. All related to Light and Shadow. Pest is familiar here. Strange creature came from Light. Perhaps have same origin.” He paused, eyes looking past Zylen and towards the door, “Tell Micah finds. He knows research papers. Good for finding ties. Could come to conclusion before us. If not. Will give more leads.” Attention moving back and forth now, the Spiral rose from his seat, “That is all. Any questions? Any rejections?” He waited a few moments before finishing the meeting, “Then it is set. We begin search into pest. Understood?” The two others nodded, answering almost in unison, “Understood.” --------- @Galehaut @TrashMomma @Spectator @megara17 @Jetdrana @CirrusAscending @Tynethyne @Drachenschwinge @nekopallet @MisterMylez Another semi-boring day down! I did want to make a full on note to go with the key, but I already knew this was going to wind up being pretty long from the start so I decided against it. The focus was supposed to be on the pest and how they aren't just some random abnormally large bug running about. Hopefully now that there's a bit of a game plan in place, the crew will find some answers. [s]I say this like I don't do a daily roll for this. And that the only way for this to progress is to get a certain number. And that I have to get this roll three times. And that I've yet to get it once.[/s] Anyways, crew gets another mission assignment tomorrow! Excited to roll for that and come up with it. Maybe Zylen will come along this time. I don't know. Here's hoping for something fun though.

[center][b]Day 65[/b] [item=Blue Fly][/center] There was no sign of the pest the following day. Zylen considered it likely that if it were smart it would lay low like this for a while. Design a new plan of attack towards whatever it was there for. Maybe handle its future attacks with far more care than before. Regardless, this meant a couple ‘pest free’ days for the mansion’s residents, and so far most were taking the day to relax. Breakfast and lunch were far more simple than the extravagant meals he and the others were used to, but he didn’t mind. The staff were dragons too, and undeniably terrified by the events unfolding around them. The Fae wished he could relax some himself, but Saile’s most recent mission had called Clancy and Jeremiah off together, and he needed to talk with both. Jeremiah about the theater and Clancy about more personal matters. Thankfully he knew where both would be located for most of the day, so it gave him plenty of time to do some side work for Apollyon as well. Going through his catalogue proved useful this time, as he located a few partially sorted books on exotic arthropods and insects. Most were general rather than focused on individual flights, but he hoped they’d suffice for the Spiral. He tracked down Jeremiah first, finding the Banescale helping Elanor with searching old archive documents. The Tundra her office door shut today, common when she was busy with personal work. Not wanting to waste time, he got straight to the point, “I’m going to be looking in the theater while you both are gone. Other than keeping an eye out for if our guest in the walls decided to call it home, I was wondering if you had any good ideas on where to start looking? You know these sorts of things a lot better than I do.” Putting his pen down, the Banescale looked down in contemplation. Picking it back up, he quickly scrawled down a list, pausing a moment before adding one more name. “These are rooms that should be clearly labeled with the rooms. There are others I know would be helpful, but those aren’t as obvious. I’ll be sure to explore them so you don’t have to wander around looking for them.” He handed over the paper, “I highly suggest the director’s office first. There would be important documentation in general there, not to mention a likeliness to hold something akin to a safe.” “Thanks Jeremiah,” Zylen lowered his fans in embarrassment, “I wish I could talk more but I know you need to prepare and I need to talk to Clancy as well.” Jeremiah returned a smile, “No problem. Breaks up the monotony of this reading, and you didn’t take up much of my time. I’ll have to leave Elanor alone again after this so I’m trying to get through as much as I can.” “Well, I wish you the best of luck.” “To you as well.” Waving farewell, Zylen made his way upstairs towards the panic room, knowing Clancy’s usual residence in the structure. He wasn’t fond of the Pearlcatcher holing herself up in the room most days, even if the interior was designed for some level of comfort. It wasn’t healthy for any dragon to live like that, let alone her. So, as he turned the corner and found his way to the once-hidden passageway to the room, he was shocked to see the room already open. He made out the forms of a couple staff inside, three working together to clean up the interior. Clancy was sitting on the couch, keeping out of the way of those at work. Conflicted, he entered, unsure what to expect next from her. She was the one to spark conversation as he found his seat on one of the oversized cushions, “Miss me?” she joked. She waved, putting down the book in her claws, “Though what brings you here? Staff’s cleaning up before I move out for a bit.” “That’s just it,” Zylen’s fans lowered halfway, “You’ve been acting almost [i]too[/i] normal. Everything okay?” Clancy returned the concern, directed at him, “Yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?” “Well, before now you’ve been worried about ‘slipping’ while out. After this last mission it appears that it’s the opposite. You….You didn’t [i]feed[/i] again did you?” “Dear Eleven no!” Clancy straightened herself, offended, “I only realized that feeding has made the room unnecessary for now. I’m guessing when I do need to feed again it’ll prove useful, but I’d like to return to my office.” “So you’re really fine?” He remembered his own feeding and how his subconscious made sure he didn’t forget. The nightmares were brief but they always woke him. She shot him a glare, “I may be doing well mentally but that doesn’t solve [i]this[/i]. She held up her braced arm, flexing her claws. “And with our newest addition, I’ve got confirmation that my condition is getting [i]worse[/i].” Growling, she pulled at the brace briefly in frustration, wincing in pain. Zylen moved to her, urging her to stop, “Hey, hey I know this is the exact scenario you dreaded, but don’t take it out on yourself like this.” “It’s invading my [i]entire arm[/i] Zylen. And the longer it goes on like this, the more it’s going to invade my body. Mariela suggests amputation and at this point, unless a miracle comes around, I may take her up on that offer. I’m willing to lose an arm if that means this stops.” He understood her problem and wanting to be rid of it, but there was an immediate concern he had about the procedure working, “What about your blood? And when you get sick? And, well, that recent development of yours you’re trying to hide?” He gestured to her mane, recently cut short and curled. It didn’t take being as close as he was to notice how oily it was. The commentary melted her confidence, “I’m hoping this is the source of it all and once it’s gone the rest will go with it. Something deep within myself says that this won’t work, but it [i]has[/i] to. This can’t possibly be as deep as…” “Your magical veins?” Zylen interrupted, “Listen, we’re both going through something that we can’t explain. Yours is far more physical than mine, but I don’t think physically tearing yourself apart will fix this. If you had a similar sensation to me, it’s as deep as our magic, mixed in somehow. It won’t go away.” He placed a claw on her normal arm, “Don’t sacrifice parts of yourself so readily. You’ll be even less like yourself then.” “Y-Yeah I suppose you're right,” was her only response, her cheery mood and energy gone. “Hey, why don’t we talk about the mission?” He shifted the topic, “I heard it’s a follow-up to one of our earlier ones.” “The one about a pottery shard right?” “The one that was hard for us to look at? Entire archaeology crew went missing?” “That sounds about right.” There was a curious glimmer back in her eyes, “They started it back up with some hired mercenaries. They finished excavating in the past couple days and wanted to send someone from the manor to pick up some samples. A bit of a thanks for taking a risk while also providing a bigger find for the institute.” “Interesting,” he dug into his memory, emotionally stung by remembering Meir’s help and involvement in the research and retrieval. “I wonder if the rest of their finds hold the same effect as that piece. Or if they deviate from the other relics found in the area in their making. You weren’t here yet so maybe that’s why you’re getting sent along.” “And Jeremiah?” Clancy practically blurted out the question. Zylen chuckled, “Something tells me going out on these are part of the job description.” ------------ @Galehaut @TrashMomma @Spectator @megara17 @Jetdrana @CirrusAscending @Tynethyne @Drachenschwinge @nekopallet @MisterMylez So this day was stressful since I pulled Micah to be on the team with Elanor and Jeremiah. Basically reset until I got all mages and even then had to hope for no crits. Micah and Elanor could get two shot by the Arcane ones, and as I found out, Jeremiah can thankfully survive three hits as he got critted more than once in all of this. All said and done, Micah is now level 6 and Elanor is now level 9! I do hope to get around to doing some exploration with Zylen tomorrow. However I have more than one thing already planned and a familiar or trinket pull will definitely ruin that plan with the extra writing that'll come about from that. I could write for everything but I don't want to have 5+ pages to worry about. I do try to keep these short when I can.

@Galehaut @TrashMomma @Spectator @megara17 @Jetdrana @CirrusAscending @Tynethyne @Drachenschwinge @nekopallet @MisterMylez

Sorry, but no post tonight. I woke up with a migraine today and between that and work I am far too drained to write. I just need to rest and not worry about this. I’ll be sure to post tomorrow with it being my weekend and all now.

[center][b]Day 66[/b] [item=Sparrow Skull][/center] Zylen’s preparations were interrupted by a visit from Elanor. As she approached the desk where he had written down notes on the various theatre locations, she carried herself with a sort of urgency he hadn’t seen before. Her face was twisted in frustration, eyes reflecting a tinge of fear as she almost forcefully shoved a letter over to him. All he caught was the words, “For the Archivist” before the tapping of her claws drew his gaze back to her. “Well, looks like we didn’t have to wait long for another of those letters we were warned about,” she commented, voice forced through gritted teeth. The Fae lowered his fans, intimidated by her behavior, “E-Everything alright? Please don’t tell me we’re in danger.” “You read it for yourself,” she gestured back to the envelope, “For a direct answer, no. At least, not yet. I’m more frustrated by why [i]we[/i] got the letter than its contents.” He picked up the envelope, scanning the elegant writing on its surface. Next to the writing he saw earlier was a simple painting of a flower, red-pink in color. What brought him unease was what was undoubtedly a bloodstain on one of the corners. Taking out the paper within revealed more bloodstains, some obscuring the clean writing within. [i]Dearest Magpie Manor, and your currently employed Archivist, I do write this letter with a sincere apology attached. I have attempted to contact the Corvus Institute and Rook’s Coven and their archivists in regards to this topic, but neither sent a response. I’ve waited two weeks as warned prior, but nothing from either. So, I’m afraid my hands have been tied, and have contacted you instead. Perhaps you can forward my complaints to your employer. Maybe then I can have this finally taken care of. You see, about three, maybe four, months ago, I returned to one of my various ‘homes’, only to find a sword of mine stolen. One I hold with great value. I understand it’s a danger to those around the wielder, but I promise it’s safe in my claws. At least as safe as it can be. Now, I know that I have killed a great many over supposedly trivial matters in the past. However, that is no reason to take the weapon from me. I take a break to try and not be violent and this is how I’m repaid? I’ve tried to be reasonable about my request to have it returned. I am well aware of the Institute and its branches’ knack for taking things that don’t belong to them. However, unlike other abandoned and neglected items they may take, I can assure that mine was not only cared for but in active use. Because of this, I have and continue to formally ask for its return. I have provided a general location to place it that I frequent weekly in each of my letters including this one. I trust that if you are unable to procure the item in question, there should at least be a correspondence in regards to this. If there isn’t, I can assure you that I will resort to more direct methods to get back what has been taken from me. I’m sure you can understand my frustrations, and I assure you I don’t want to take these measures, but I am not afraid to. I’ve spilled blood for less. I expect your response, The Red Wraith [/i] Below the letter was a description of a location near Sunbeam Ruins, stating notable features, including a ruined altar and a hidden compartment where the requested weapon were to be placed. There was also a detailed description of the blade itself, to be used when drafting a letter to be sent to the Institute. As he finished reading and folding up the letter, he returned it to Elanor, who bared her teeth upon it entering her claws again. “So let me guess, it’s Saile’s inaction to all of this? Or at least the Institute?” Zylen narrowed his eyes and fans with his sarcasm, voice not exactly reflecting the tone. “[i]Exactly,[/i]” Elanor’s voice emphasized every syllable, “I understand Saile is not in charge of the Institute nor is he their archivist, but this shouldn’t fall on us. At the very least they could respond with something in regards to if they even possess this sword. That way it would direct this attention away from us. We didn’t ask to be dragged into any of this so far. At the very least the Institute could do something to prevent [i]more[/i] trouble from falling into our hands.” “So, what are you going to do?” “I’m going to file this letter away and then have Micah write a more reasonably-worded letter than I would at this moment,” she bared her teeth, “I’m not sure Saile needs to see the fall of my ‘sweet’ facade just yet.” “Well, if you need a moment to compose yourself and return to that state,” he gestured to the countless shelves around him, “I’m sure the library can provide the quiet and distractions you require. There’s bound to be a book around here to draw your attention away from this.” “Thanks Zylen,” she let out a sigh, “It’s probably for the best.” She took a seat at the desk they were at, resting her head in one of her claws. Expression more neutral, she looked back up at the much smaller dragon, “Best of luck on your ventures by the way. You’ll have to let me know if you find anything.” “Of course!” He raised his fans in excitement, “With Jeremiah’s help it can’t be long until we find [i]something[/i].” Unfortunately his trek into the theater was fruitless once again. At least, with the surface level digging he did in search of secret compartments and rooms and the like. He did locate some items of note in the director’s office however. Most of the desk’s drawers were locked, and a quick search of the room revealed no key. However, this search did uncover the hypothesized safe, again no clues as to how it could be opened. The remaining rooms procured little on inspection. Other offices lacked safes but the desks were also locked with no key to be found. The lighting booth, once found, only held some old equipment that gave Zylen questions as to their use, but no answers as for what he was after. The main dressing and prop rooms were far too cluttered with their respective equipment for Zylen to get any good view of the room itself, sighing as he realized cleanup was in order before any progress could be made. Irritated at the lack of progress, Zylen stopped his search early, spending the rest of his day working on his library. As he laid in bed that night, he resigned that no matter what, he’d need Jeremiah’s help. The problem was now if Jeremiah would actually stick around long enough to aid in this search. ------------ @Galehaut @TrashMomma @Spectator @megara17 @Jetdrana @CirrusAscending @Tynethyne @Drachenschwinge @nekopallet @MisterMylez First off, sorry for no post yesterday. I got a migraine that didn't go away with a nap as usual. I was in no state to post an alert that there wouldn't be an update. That said, we've got our first 'malicious' letter! Trying to figure out how to incorporate them into my Discussion thread at the moment so suggestions are welcome. Current idea is to combine my two mission posts and leave one open for all the letters. I didn't really have much motivation past the letter tonight sadly. Hopefully I'll have more tomorrow so I can possibly do better exploration of the theater. Was wanting to write Zylen finding something, but again, tried not to force myself through writing more than I have already today.

[center][b]Day 67[/b] [item=Granite Chunk][/center] Breakfast was served in the spare dining hall the following morning. The mansion’s pest had spent the night digging away a chunk of the wall in the kitchen, lashing out at staff and scurrying away when Apollyon or Howl got involved. After a few attempts the endeavors were abandoned, hoping the damage left behind wasn’t too severe. Over the watchful eyes of Apollyon, breakfast was made without a hitch, but served in the other dining room in case they decided to reemerge for any reason. Lucky for Zylen, Jeremiah and Clancy returned before lunch, bringing back a completely intact vase of some kind alongside some old jewelry. The two quickly handed the pieces over to Apollyon for documentation before heading to Micah to give their report. From their looks, both were in good shape, expressions positive, but no extra pep from before. Most definitely a successful mission free of any troubles. The Veilspun scribe would have an easy day today. The Banescale entered the library on his own. Partially encouraged by Elanor, he quickly recounted his ‘adventure’ into the Gladeveins to collect the relics. The only reason their venture took more than a day was so Clancy could gush about the now unearthed structures. Her opinions and knowledge even provided helpful insight for the archaeologists, as a second opinion helped solidify some theories the rest of the group had come up with. He knew that’s not what he was there for however. “So our lovely archivist informed me that you had a bit of trouble with theatre exploration yesterday.” “You can say that again,” Zylen put away his catalogue notes, turning his attention to the Ancient. “Offices all had locked desks, there’s a locked safe, I don’t want to touch anything in the tech room without prior knowledge, and the wardrobe and prop rooms were cluttered to where I struggled navigating them. I’m going to need someone like you to either move stuff around or use past experiences to help along.” The Banescale let out a sigh, “I was afraid of this. The more ‘casual’ nature of what theatre means to the public means they aren’t as likely to go to extreme measures to hide anything.” His wings rustled with mild irritation, “Appears that the nature of the manor’s secrets trump that.” “Well, if you’re taking the helm this time, feel free to ask for my help.” Zylen raised his fans in excitement, “I’m hoping with you along there’ll be a breakthrough at last.” “Why exactly are you so caught up in this again?” Jeremiah suddenly inquired. “Back in the secret room, I found a locked safe under an area rug. There was a note attached hinting that the way to unlock it was located somewhere within. I’ve also got a set of old blueprints with Darryn’s writing scrawled on it. One of the notes mentions secrets backstage, so there’s got to be more than a key to a safe here. If any of us want answers to what happened to him and the mansion’s previous residents, this is our best lead.” Nodding along, it was apparent that the Ancient understood and believed in the Fae’s reasoning, “I suppose that's better than blindly hoping something comes out of our work.” He made his way towards the door, “Now, come along. We both know I’ll likely get sent off again the next time Saile assigns a task.” Their conversation didn’t continue until entering the theatre, the Fae commenting on Jeremiah’s last remark, “You think Saile’s sending you out on purpose?” Receiving no immediate response, he continued, “I mean, think about it. Saile physically interacted with the last group here at least a little. If he was directly involved in any of this, he may try and distract us away from everything. You know, make us focus on our jobs and his tasks, not looking any deeper.” Jeremiah kept looking forward, “And everything we keep running into? The artifacts? The individuals? The [i]letters[/i]?” He countered almost coldly, disbelieving the professor could have any sort of well-meaning reason behind what was going on. “Well, again, think of the last group. Perhaps he thought we’d be free of these individuals. Unquestioning of uncovered relics because of someone like Eowyn, who regularly dealt with such things. Instead, we’ve been caught in some sort of grudge set up by the previous archivist and are now paying the price for something we were never involved with.” “Then why would [i]we[/i] be targeted? Not Saile?” Again the reasoning was countered. “Because we work for him. Because the Manor isn’t as prolific and active as the Corvus Institute. Because, as our most recent letter mentions, we and the institute both still house dangerous objects from before our arrival. Maybe some of these dragons want their stuff back, after being stolen by past employees, whether willingly or not.” Zylen stopped the next retort before it began, “Just because I say objects may want to be returned doesn’t mean they should be. Saile has his reasons for seeking out these relics and tools and weapons and the like. Ever wonder [i]why[/i] the manor is protected by the powerful wards it is? I don’t think we need more intruders like our pest coming onto the grounds. Let alone dragons who could plan exactly how to take all of us out. I know you and a couple others may not trust Saile, but I firmly believe he’s trying his best to keep us safe.” There was silence until the two entered the director’s office, Jeremiah immediately moving to the desk and it’s locked draws. He finally responded as he looked around it, “I suppose you’re right. Even if there may be more going on behind the scenes, he is trying to keep us safe the best he can. It’s not his fault if individuals wronged by prior staff and himself start targeting us.” He thought a moment, pausing in his search, “There was a Skydancer right? The one who prevented you from getting a relic?” “Yeah, that’s Rachael,” Zylen nodded in acknowledgement, “I know that was more our fault, but she was acting on our past actions. Said she was only stopping us as a favor to the Hollands. It would make sense if there were others acting for similar reasons.” “I just hope we don’t wind up making new enemies trying to do our job.” Finishing the statement, he got to work examining the desk, eyes lighting up as he moved aside a decorative accessory. “Gotcha! Zylen, care to pry this open for me?” “Can do!” He flittered over to the desktop, noticing the now uncovered latch Jeremiah lacked claws to effectively open. He opened the slot with excitement, revealing an old key in good condition. Jeremiah smiled as his small companion clutched the small metal object in his claws, “Now, let’s get started.” ----------- @Galehaut @TrashMomma @Spectator @megara17 @Jetdrana @CirrusAscending @Tynethyne @Drachenschwinge @nekopallet @MisterMylez Okay, I had to practically drag myself through this writing. I was incredibly unmotivated to write today despite inspiration, so it took a lot longer to write this than it should have. That said, welcome to what miiiiiight by the first two part day! I had planned these out since the beginning, as between how much I write and how much may go on in one "story" day in the Pinkerlocke, I may need to split the events across multiple days. This was initially in regards to events that may take place much later, but as this has gone on, I realized this may be a bit more frequent an occurrence. However, despite the paragraph above, this might not be the case for this scenario. I might go forth with the details of what happens after today's writing, or I may give a summary. Depends on my pull and how inspired and motivated I'm feeling. Speaking of pulls, please I want stuff that isn't a material Pinkerton. Please. I can only go so far on 'nothing happens' pulls. Other stuff gives me the extra boost I need sometimes.

[center][b]Day 68[/b] [item=Sprangyroo][/center] Today was dull. Zylen found it odd after the excitement of yesterday’s findings. His first thought was to blame the rain. The dreary sky and soft pattering of raindrops on his window contrasted yesterday’s cloudless morning, hindering his motivation to crawl out of bed. As he entered the spare dining hall for breakfast however, the bustle of activity did little to draw him out of it. Not even retelling his and Jeremiah’s finds to Clancy failed to provide the energy he needed. At least no one appeared to notice the shift in behavior from yesterday. A good day to be a Fae he supposed. Unable to bring himself to work on his catalogue as his mind hit a block almost immediately after opening his notes, he shifted focus back on the new additions in his office. After locating the desk key yesterday, it didn’t take long for him and Jeremiah to unlock the theatre director’s desk. There was plenty of ‘official’ documentation in regards funding and requests for materials, costumes, existing props, music, and all sorts of other supplies. However, there were far more personal documents mixed among these, likely as a method of hiding them from an untrained eye. After the two of them sifted through everything, they were left with four piles. The first included the request forms as well as prewritten responses of approval or denial towards the requests. The second and third piles were written messages from members of the mansion, one between theatre staffing and the other from any other staff around other parts of the mansion. The fourth was the most interesting however, as it included correspondence between not only professor Saile, but members of a group outside the mansion. From what they gathered from quick skimming of the contents, the group was a travelling group of performers, performing musicals around Sornieth. Elanor was left with the last stack for archival purposes, and Micah was trusted with organizing and documenting the request forms. That left Zylen and Jeremiah dealing with staff interactions, the Banescale handling those with theatre staffing. Now, as Zylen took a seat at his own desk, he sifted through his pile of papers, looking for any noteworthy names as he sorted them by addressee. Almost immediately he was struck by two names that popped up rather frequently. Two dragons by the name of Prim Winters and Wesk Roughscale that both worked within the reliquary room. The topic of discussion appeared to be about the relics within, though without reading in-depth, the Fae wasn’t sure what. And after sorting through, his previous motivation was once again gone. Unhappy at his inability to remain focused and dedicated to a task, Zylen stepped out of the library, wandering absentmindedly through the halls. Thinking his pacing would aid him in clearing his head, his supposed random pathing always brought him back to one of the doors to the outside. Specifically the one closest to the lake he had nearly drowned in. Unnerved, he stopped to watch the rain from one of the perches set up by some of the windows for observation purposes. Not feeling the weight leave his chest, he went a step further and flew out onto one of the patio areas, dry thanks to overhangs. The smell of the cool humid air relaxed him some, providing comfort where he was lacking in any before. “Ah, you must be the librarian,” A voice called out, tone more than enough for Zylen to recognize its owner to be a Fae. [center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/537779856474243072/872685924201431050/Old_man.png[/img][/center] Looking around briefly, he located another one of his kind perched in one of the hanging planters of all things. Dressed in roughed up clothes and insect chitin of all things, their red eyes stared back intently for a response, fans spread in greeting. He did his best to return the gesture, extending his own in greeting, “I am. Name’s Zylen Myst. I take it Saile employed you?” A nod, followed by a relaxing of their fans. They remained neutral as the newcomer introduced themselves, “Thorn Icthen,” the scratchiness in his voice revealed that the mansion’s newest member was far older than Zylen expected. “And yes, that professor is why I’m here. Never expected the application to go through. Young blood having more passion and energy for such things.” “What are you here for? If you don’t mind me asking of course,” he adjusted his fans to mimic curiosity, already subconsciously shifting into thinking through his fan movements as to not reveal more than intended. He had also shifted into reading far more into the other Fae, knowing there was only so far he could get with fan movements, especially if he were being lied to. “Botany,” Thorn stated bluntly, “Been a passion since I was young. Course someone in the clan had to learn what plants were safe to eat, so it’s best to pawn it off on the hatchling that pays more attention to the leaf their food is on than the food itself.” Oh right, his eyes. Those raised in the wasteland always had stranger ways of handling things, but with good reason. Perhaps he and Apollyon could share a story or two, “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but why would Saile need a botanist? Seems pretty niche for a place such as this.” Thorn shifted his gaze towards the grounds, “Well, first is all that out there. One of my tasks is to monitor the garden’s plant life. The professor probably thinks my territory of origin is of use there. The housekeeping staff deserves to be kept safe.” “So what, you go out there every day to pick weeds?” “Watch your tongue youngster. I’m not through explaining everything.” The akilter positions of all four fans matched the sudden irritation from the older dragon. “There’s an herbal garden out there. Grows all sorts of useful things for that doctor of yours. As are plenty of food-bearing plants.” He looked back down at Zylen, “Now, can you tell me of what danger can come about from such beneficial plants?” “No sir,” Zylen responded truthfully, fans unwavering. “The answer is crossbreeding. Yes, this can produce better plants, the opposite is also true. I’d hate to see you or any of the others become victim to such things.” He looked back out onto the grounds, “That said, you’re right. Saile wants me to examine and test ‘weeds’. Something about harmful invasive plants or whatever. He’ll be sending me samples of strange plants as well. How he intends to preserve them, I don’t know. He’ll find a way. They always do.” “Where’s your office?” Zylen attempted to change the subject some. “Observatory on the third floor. Ever been?” “A couple times. Afraid I’m not a fan of how big and empty it is, minus the unused telescope of course. Even that does little to ease me I’m afraid.” “Well, feel free to visit if you ever get lonely,” Thorn rose from his spot, lifting into the air with magic, “I’d appreciate the company. Now, it’s best we both get back to work. Books don’t get sorted on their own.” “Right,” Zylen watched the other Fae enter the mansion, leaving him alone again. The meeting was nice, but did little to provide the motivation he needed. Even his happiness in seeing another member was short-lived. Thorn seemed nice enough at least. A botanist was certainly a strange choice, but if Jaxon was gone Zylen supposed he was a suitable replacement. Howl would likely find Thorn as good company, as well as Mariela if the statement about a medicinal garden was true. As for him, it looked like Thorn was yet another coworker he’d not see much of. Normally, the thought of not interacting with anyone would eat away at him. Yet, as he looked back out into the manor’s ground, he thought it almost natural. Perhaps he should pay a visit to the lake. It had tugged at him enough. -------- @Galehaut @TrashMomma @Spectator @megara17 @Jetdrana @CirrusAscending @Tynethyne @Drachenschwinge @nekopallet @MisterMylez So, it turns out getting a new dragon definitely prevents me from splitting the day into two parts. I am [i]extremely[/i] lucky to have gotten Thorn. He's a fully gened, 3-year old GenOne that happened to be posted pretty much as soon as I started looking for the new member! Snagged him in an instant and I hope he gets to stick around. Speaking of Thorn, he's a botanist! Found it fitting between his colors and the little note in his bio about being a planned member of a nature subspecies. Found him to be a decent 'replacement' in Jaxon's role, plus he'll get to handle his own little anomalies. I'm sure everyone will get along with him just fine. As for the letters and everything found in the theatre director's office, I'll get to them at a future date. There's definitely fun stuff to find in those. What tomorrow will bring I don't know. What I do know is next mission gets assigned tomorrow and that always makes me excited. For now I'll get to updating the roster and whatnot. Speaking of which, the cast page may be getting a bit of a revamp here soon. Have to find the time to work on it first.

@Galehaut @TrashMomma @Spectator @megara17 @Jetdrana @CirrusAscending @Tynethyne @Drachenschwinge @nekopallet @MisterMylez

Getting an early update out tonight that I won't be posting an update today. While wanting to grind Warrior's Way is part of the reason, the main reason is that I am not feeling physically well today. I almost got sick at work multiple times and was still fighting it after getting home. Even now I'm struggling to stomach some small snacks to try and get something in my body. I'm exhausted and tired and don't have the mental capacity or focus to write tonight. Sorry everyone.

@Galehaut @TrashMomma @Spectator @megara17 @Jetdrana @CirrusAscending @Tynethyne @Drachenschwinge @nekopallet @MisterMylez

Sorry for another "no post today" post, but just wanted to catch up from yesterday.

Firstly, yesterday I was still not feeling the greatest. While not nearly as bad as Thursday, it did ruin any sort of motivation I had. I attempted to write something but quickly hit the wall of feeling like I was forcing myself through it, and I hate writing when I feel that way.

Second, work today was the worst Saturday we've had since Peak season. Between that, poor sleep, suffering some level of heat exhaustion, and not being settled in until a little over half an hour ago (as of posting), there isn't going to be an entry tonight. I do have motivation and inspiration, but my body wants nothing more than to rest after today's work.

That said, because of today's motivation, I want to try and get two posts out tomorrow. Hopefully the energy carries through into tomorrow so i can pull this off. I want to write more of this but simply don't have the physical capacity to do so tonight. The last thing I need to do is force myself into staying up super late to ensure this gets finished after a nearly 10 hour workday full of physical exertion, running on a lack of sleep, and dealing with the heat.

I really do hope things start winding up being better with how I've been physically feeling, but as always, I promise this isn't getting abandoned! Just hit a rough patch for now.