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[sjm9876]

"Myself? Not unless you have any laban, which this far, I doubt."

[Dwarmin]

Eleen finally settled down, and began promptly nodding off, dreaming dozing thoughts. These chairs were really comfortable...she could remember the days when she wouldn't be allowed on the front step of a place like this...to be honest, she would have probably been interested in burglarizing the place...with her old friends, her old family..Joan, Janet, Erwin, Abel, Mac and Carl...all gone now...she wasn't sure if any of them were still alive...how many had ended up feeding Orlock's pet Kraken (or so it was rumored), been filleted in a pool of sewage, or cosseted by the Kettlehats...she didn't want to know...

Action: Zzz, wait for tea.

[GiglameshDespair]

When the door opens again, it admits the manservant and a woman.

The woman was short, with long brown hair that cascaded around her ivory-rimmed spectacles and over her shoulders. She's dressed somewhat informally - a rather business-like green dress and a pair of thin ladies' gloves.

This was the woman that had called you all here. She takes a seat near the table, unrolling some paper sketches onto the table, and waits while the various teas are served about - plain tea for Oriana, with milk and sugar; hiji with honey and lemon for Eleen; and while it's not laban, it's Earl's fazir, which tastes similar enough to be palatable for Kaz. Aliz herself has a ordinary cup, though she more uses it as a delicate paperweight than a drink.

"Good afternoon," she starts with much preamble, and her voice is strong and sure. "I'm sure you know why I've called you here. There's a problem plaguing our city." She tapped the paper on the table. A sketch of a bestial humanoid, detailed enough you can see the slaver running from the jaws. "These monsters are very interesting. They raise so many questions.

Where did they come from? Why? What are they doing with the people they drag off? How intelligent are they? Certainly, none of my colleagues in other cities have heard of the like occuring there. That suggests the beasts originate inside Sleangate. But how and why have they emerged is the biggest question.

Overall, you can think of it as three aims.

The How
I've heard someone managed to slay a beast, and its corpse is at the University Ward, being dissected at Golham University. Unfortunately, I don't have access there, and any results are being kept secret for now. I need one of their bodies, or the records of dissection. That's to find out what makes them tick.

The What
What's making them? Do they have a breeding population that was buried somewhere in the tunnels and catacombs beneath, and now a crumbling wall has freed them? Does some mage, advanced far beyond his peers, have a labrartory somewherE? Are these the feral children of the Church, run amok?" She spread her hands. "I have no idea, so we have to find out.

The why
Why are they dragging people off? They tend to try to capture, rather than kill outright. Are they picking out specific targets, and so are intelligent and directed? Are they hunting randomly, just rabid beasts needing to be put down?

These three things, my friends, are what you are going to find out."

[Twinwolf]

Oriana listens intently to the woman. When she speaks, she appears to be trying to suppress her accent for clarity."A couple questions: any particular order we have to figure these out? Any leads on where to start with any of these options? Do we have any clues as to where the captured people are being taken?"

[sjm9876]

"Any list of witnesses?"

Kas examines the sketches more closely.

[Dwarmin]

Eleen sipped her hot tea slowly, enjoying the slow warmth percolating in her body.

"..."

She was silent, listening carefully and thinking hard.

[Self]: Feral Children of the church? What could I know about that?

[GiglameshDespair]

"A couple questions: any particular order we have to figure these out? Any leads on where to start with any of these options? Do we have any clues as to where the captured people are being taken?"

"Any list of witnesses?"

Aliz shook her head and smiled. "No, you don't need to do it any order: I just thought it a good way to clarify your aims. I imagine if you find the answer to one, you'll find the answers to the others in short regard, anyway.

As for witness, I do have a possibility. A few leads, actually.

Minister Underthorne, who runs a Church orphanage, recently suffered the abduction of some of the children there. That was... three, four days ago? The orphanage is here in the Kraken Ward... it's for the sailor's children who get tossed out or abandoned when their fathers don't return from sea. I know the man, and he's probably taking it hard.

From the paper, the Merciful Annibel ship in the docks lost a man recently. Perhaps you could ask around. Why him in particular? Bad luck? I don't know how well you'll be received, though, but they said they shot at it, so you might be able to get some clues on how tough they are.

If nothing else, you could always try to buy information in the Market Ward. There's been a few attacks there, so you might be able to find out something. If it was important, someone might try to kept it quiet so they sell the information on.

If any of you have ideas or questions, of course speak up. I'll respond as best as I'm able."

Kas examines the sketches more closely.

You've not seen anything like that before, of that you can be certain.

The head is more like that of an cross between a wolf and an ape, with deepset eyes and a mouth of sharp teeth. The creature in the drawing is hunched over, and it's arms are long and spotted with thick tufts of hair. The hands are thick slabs of reddened flesh, each finger thick and tipped with a short claw. Swollen veins are highly visible on the ruddy flesh between the patchy hair.

What a hideous creature.

[Self]: Feral Children of the church? What could I know about that?

It doesn't sound like any Church ritual to creature blessed beings that you know of, but the ways of the Church sects are many, disparate, and often secretive. Rather than sacrificing body parts, sacrificing humanity, perhaps, but the result is uncontrollable? While you don't know a huge amount (or anything, really) about the processes involved, it's something to perhaps think about.

[sjm9876]

"And do ya have a map of the city? If the witnesses can tell where the beasts ran to, might narrow down their lair."

(( Primarily IC, given the OOC description ))

[Dwarmin]

"...The answer to the other questions will have us beating the streets, for sure, but you can help me with two right now.

First, why doesn't the university make their findings public, or at least available to you? Why the closed fist?

Also, do you know who we would have to go through to get the autopsy records at the university?"

She thought further about the church, and the orphanage mentioned...

[Self]: What reception is a church investigator likely to get at the Gotham University? Hostility, help, indifference? Do I know?

Also, do I/what do I know a Minister Underthorne?

[GiglameshDespair]

"A map? Of course." She moves the drawing of the monster, and passes the map underneath to Kaz. "If nothing else you can always ask miss Eleen here."

"
First, why doesn't the university make their findings public, or at least available to you? Why the closed fist?

Also, do you know who we would have to go through to get the autopsy records at the university?"

She thought further about the church, and the orphanage mentioned...

"Well, the Universities like to keep knowledge to themselves, if they think they might be able to get an advantage over the others, whether a new invention or simply a released paper. Or the Church has demanded they keep it quiet, and if the Church is threatening enough, they might well be.

I didn't attend Golham - I was a student of Sandhal. It's smaller, with less clout, and I don't have the friends in high places myself to arrange access. It being a different University... I really don't know how you might get access to the autopsy records. They all have very different ways of doing things."

[Self]: What reception is a church investigator likely to get at the Gotham University? Hostility, help, indifference? Do I know?

Also, do I/what do I know a Minister Underthorne?

The universities aren't too fond of the Church, and the feeling is often mutual. The pursuit of knowledge is an easy place for magery to spread - especially in the study of artefacts - and the indelicate methods the Church has pursued in the past has rather soured relations. But then, the Universities don't really like spreading their knowledge around too much, anyway.

You don't know Minister Underthorne. There's plenty of orphanages and poorhouses in the city, and the aforementioned orphanage wasn't one you went to... and you didn't make a habit of haunting them once you were free of that.

[sjm9876]

"Sandhal has no research?"

Kas raises an eyebrow questioningly.

[Dwarmin]

"We need some hard evidence, Kas-Sandhal doesn't have a body to examine, so all they can do is guess...

All right, I think the University is our best lead-that doesn't rely on setting fire to the brush, and seeing what skitters out. We'll have to decide how best to get at the information, depending on who we have to go through. If that doesn't work...well, we can think of something else. Eye witnesses are always sketchy. Let's go for some solid proof, before we resort to that."

[sjm9876]

"Evidence?"

Kas smirks.

"You plan to take this to the soldiers?" He snorts. "They seem to accept the truth, even though they don' act on it."

Kas seems mildly irritated, and his accent grows harsher - less foreign, and more like the universal speech of sailors.

"M'self, I'd rather have a guess than nowt, an' we're gonna need every lead we ca' get."

Then his accent returns, almost overshoots, into the careful foreigner.

"So in answer to my previous question, Miss Tannerson?"

[Dwarmin]

"I meant evidence we could use. Not that I'm so proud I wouldn't call for help if I needed it. This might be too big for just three people to handle...until then, I agree, a smaller group can act quieter, faster, without a chain of command."

[Dwarmin]

Eleen was impatient. It was not in her nature to dither around, asking questions they very well knew the answers to. She progressed from foot tapping to knee drumming to shifting in her seat in the space of five minutes. Then she abruptly stood up.

"....Anyway, we need to get on with it. You all can accompany me, or pursue the other leads, but I am heading to the university. Should be safe enough..might I ask where you are all staying in Sleangate, so we can meet later if need be?"

Action: Eleen leaves and heads to Golham university.