5041/An Ember Enkindled

An Ember Enkindled
Date of Scene:	22 January 2017
Location:	Immortal Flames HQ, Ul'dah
Synopsis:	The Watch discusses the results of their investigation into the mole that plagues the Immortal Flames, and discovers the source of Ifrit's information.
Cast of Characters:	N'raha Tia, 573, Athela Valemore, 1081, 675

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N'raha Tia has posed:
    HEAR... FEEL... THINK...
    Raha floats, ever and always in that endless void. His body cradled in the aether by unseen forces, and he once again gazes upon Hydaelyn.
    And once again... any answers the Crystal wishes to give... elude him. Ever and always, just on the edges of his perception. On the tip of his astral tongue, the pricking of ethereal eartips.

    IMMORTAL FLAMES HQ

    Raha snorts awake, as a young, redheaded miqo'te taps him on the shoulder. V'Kebbe snorts a bit, and pokes him in the ribs with the tip of a knife. "And just like that, the Bringer of Light died at the hands of a crook. Bleedin' like a stuck auroch, his last moments all 'oh why did I fall asleep here in bloody Ul'dah?'" She sticks out her tongue, and looks at the people gathering in the hall. There's... well. Raubahn, not sitting behind a desk but standing and looking at maps and charts with Swift and some of the other commanders. There's also rosters and charts and timetables and schedules. All of it laid out over the massive conference table in the middle of the room.
    Raha grumbles a bit, and rubs at his side, where he was pricked. "Kebbe, remind me to just die in the gutter the next time Hydaelyn wants a hero."
    The Rogue grins, and pokes him with the dagger again. "'Kin do that right now. But I 'spect the Flames aren't keen."

    Their off-world guests should be arriving soon.

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    'Off World' being a relatively loose term for one in particular. Mihk Lihzeh enters the conference room, boots clicking on the stone floor as she peruses through her open tome, as if familiarizing herself with it again.

    Once she's close enough, the tome is snapped closed with a nearly resonant sound of metal gilt leather striking together around parchment, and she hooks the large volume back on her belt.

    She says nothing, for she has nothing to say for the time being, content merely to watch.

Athela Valemore has posed:
Athela Valemore has come once again to assist Raha in the plight they had slowly been learning more about through the encounters with the fishmen and lizardmen. This was not her world, but she could see many of the same dangers in what it faced. To be honest the similarities between the thralls of the Primals and the cults of the Regi in their zealous natures was enough in itself to be frightening.

A fear these people should not have to constantly live with, even when it was giving the local enforcement efforts trouble. It was her duty as both a knight and a member of the Watch to help get to the bottom of the matter and resolve it. And that is why she was here.

Even if she couldn't shake the nagging in the back of her mind that there was a something much deeper to all this...

Celes Chere (1081) has posed:
    At least one of those guests will be exactly on time, if not a bit early. Celes had stepped into the room moments ago, having not wandered one second too many the streets of Ul'dah despite its charm and beauty. It is largely unlike any city on her world, but her professional and trained soldier side wouldn't let her play tourist until she'd seen to what she'd been invited for. Don't worry, Gladiators' Guild, she'll spare you a moment later. Might spare the Thaumaturges' Guild a look too. And a few other places.

    FOR NOW, though, she's where she should be, patiently waiting for Raubahn or one of his commanders to detach themselves from those maps and charts. It wouldn't do to just impose herself, and Raha had mentioned reluctance on these people's part to ask for help at all, so making a good first impression will be key.

Cirra Constantine (675) has posed:
    One of the few worlds that share any similarity to Galianda, Hydalyn makes for more comfortable surroundings for the Judge Cirra Constantine then many others.

    The woman stands to one side of the room within Immortal Flames HQ. Her helmet removed and tucked under her arm so that no one mistakes her for a LEgatus of the Empire. Though her armor is /quiet/ as stylized as theres, with more flat planes and an eye to effcieny then the status inspired Garlean equipment.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Raha... smiles at Mihk as he spots her, and starts heading for the conference table to stand with the rest of the crowd, looking over the papers and maps and such. A lot of it doesn't mean much to him, but... he's got the gist of what they're doing here.
    Raubahn perks up at Celes and Athela arrive, tossing them a nod. Celes in particular gets a more personal greeting, as the Flame General shuffles through the crowd to extend a massive hand. "General. I wanted to thank you personally for the help you've provided. My staff say you've had plenty to handle on your own, and the needs of Eorzea certainly do not belong to you." Oh. Well!
    Cirra gets a nod as well. "Judge Constantine. It is good to see you in Thanalan again. Mr. Raha has spoken highly of the Academy in the past." Though, there's a little darkening of eyes at part of that. Let it never be said he didn't harbor... some misgivings in the Syndicate's dealings with the Zaibatsu.

Athela Valemore has posed:
Athela Valemore nods in return to Raubahn, then steps out of the large man's way as he approachs Cirra for more direct greetings. Instead she moves closer to the table as well, pausing to glance over the assorted maps covering it. They don't mean a lot to her, but she gets what they are and why the militia operation would probably have them spread out like this. The only thing she says is a faint thoughtful "Hmm" but she's going to politely wait for the locals to actually explain their matters at hand.

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk nods back to Raha. She doesn't mind being ignored by the big Commander. Probably for the best, really.

    As Raubahn greets the others, Mihk steps in a bit closer to the maps and charts, looking them over with her mismatched eyes. The dusky Keeper might just be blending into the background.

Celes Chere (1081) has posed:
    "Just Celes is fine. I haven't been 'general' in..." Close to a year now? Time passes. "But it's fine, really. I can't just sit back if there's something I can do to help others. I'm happy to lend your men a hand, Flame General."

    Allowing herself to soften a bit after the greetings phase, she goes straight to the heart of the matter. "How can we be of assistance? I heard the prisoner had been killed in his cell, which leaves only a very few suspects. Raha also mentioned the Amalj'aa are working to summon Ifrit, which leaves us short on time to deal with them."

Cirra Constantine (675) has posed:
    Cirra nods to Rauban in returns, "Thank you General. Alexander Academy is meant to train people for exactly these kinds of situations, so I'm certien we can be of service to Eorzea."

    "If this 'PRimal' in the image of the God Ifrit is summoned, I'm sure the people of Galianda - and the Ifrit continent especially; would consider it an affront to the natural order."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    As Athela and Mihk start looking over the papers, it's clear that the officers have been working to cross reference data. Counter intelligence. A tough thing to do when you can't trust spies for some things. Red pens and chalk and ledgers and everything.
    There's also maps of Amalj'aa territory, along with esoteric readings and aether tracking from the representatives of the Thaumaturge's Guild. Looks like they're trying to pin down the location of 'Where The Crap is Ifrit?"

    Celes gets a nod, and Rauhban hooks his thumbs into the belt of his scabbards. "It's a little late for 'trying to summon', I'm afraid. I fear that moment has already passed, and now the Amalj'aa are working to keep their God on this side of the Lifestream where He apparently wants to be." Another look to Cirra. "It's already an affront to us, so we sympathize with that. And thank you for your concern."
    A look over to Mihk, and he waves a bit with a smile. "Detective, tell them what you told us about your investigation into the death of the prisoner." Oooooh, Mihk, you're a detective now!

Athela Valemore has posed:
Difficult to do when you're not sure if you can even trust your own scouts and spies. But these people were still trying to do their best for their land despite the complications and you had to respect them for that. If the Amalj'aa were stealing supplies and people, they had to be taking them somewhere, right? Even with the circumstances there was only so many places to look. Something had to turn up sooner or later.

Athela looked up as attention was called to Mihk, setting curiosity in the maps aside for now. She gives the arcanist a nod of both interest and assurance. "Please do, tell us what you have learned."

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk seems a bit surprised, but tilts her head, and opens her tome. "The killing was sacrificial in nature, from what little I was able to piece together from the disturbed scene, someone or something was allowed into the cell, stabbed the prisoner and extracted his blood into a recently exchanged bucket. The exact nature of the sacrifical ritual is unknown, no Aetheric residue remained." She reads from the tome, turning a page. "Traces of weapon-grade steel were found in the bucket. Possibly the after trace of the murder weapon." She looks up from the tome and across the others. "That is all I could glean from the cell."

Celes Chere (1081) has posed:
    "I see. Then we just need to strike before they figure that out." Judging by all the maps strewn about, that might be easier than done for the moment though. Not to mention there's still that threat of an inside job that could foil them.

    Celes turns to look at Mihk, when she's told to lay out her findings. She hms, thoughtfully, before pointing out: "Blood into a bucket? That can't have been fast. I assume the guards stationed at the time were already questioned, what did they have to say?"

Cirra Constantine (675) has posed:
     Cirra nods again, "Indeed." She turns to listen to Mihk and frowns. "The bucket was left behind, and had traces of steel in it?" She steps towards the map strewn table, "Then how was the blood removed without magic, and where did it go?" She scans over the maps of terrain around Ul'dah.

    "With no traces of magic then it would have to have been done by gravity, or by a mechanical pump. IF the prisoner had been strung up it would have been obvious whe he was discovered, or he would have rope burns." She tilts her head to look at one map.

    "Is there an iron mine or steel mill nearby?"

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Raha steps in on that one. He smiles at Celes, and takes one of V'kebbe's knives, and taps the blade under his chin. "Oh, it was real fast. They slammed a dagger right under his throat while he was chained to a wall. Probably couldn't even get a word off. Whoever did it got messy as the seven Hells though."

    Swift completes the rest of that questioning, looking frankly mad at Mihk's explanation. "There was apparently a distinct lack of guards outside the cells at the time of the attack. I have made it clear that we needs be more professional with our... prisoner handling."

    Kebbe smiles. "They let me peep a crack at it too! No one jimmied that stopper, so someone had the right key."

    Swift... is just more than a little grumpy and embarrassed at all this, but Rauhban claps him on the shoulder. "The time for pointing fingers amongst ourselves can come later."
    He then points a meaty finger to Cirra. "We thought of that but the only mines close enough for the bastards to be doing that would be the Copperbell Mines, and those are closely watched. No Amalj'aa out there. However, there's no shortage of salvaged metal to be had. And that can be smelted wherever you've got a spare place to put a large furnace and a large enough supply of fire crystals."

    Raha himself... starts to look off into the distance at something, eyes going slightly unfocused.

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    "That ammount of crystal would give off a lot of Aetheric resonance... have you contacted any other Arcanists to help pinpoint a large concentration of Fire-aspect Aether?" asks Mihk, leaning on the table a bit as her tail fluffs up and lashes back and forth. "The Thaumaturges are adept at elemental Aether, however they are not trained to localize Aetheric emissions."

Cirra Constantine (675) has posed:
    At the mention of salvaging metal Cirra wonders out loud, "A former battle ground?" Then recalls seeing airships over Ul'dah, "Or a crashsite." She muses. Her finger traces the only raillines that lead away from U'ldah, but as it curves away she doesn't seem confident that it's the right lead.

    "Bonfire?" she reads off the name on the map questioningly.

Athela Valemore has posed:
Athela Valemore rubs her chin with one hand as the various details are related. "Then it was most certainly a job on the inside. Distressing. I would ask who would be so callous to sell out his own kind... but that would be hypocritical, considering that similar events have often occured in my own homeland as well. Men, women and pokemon alike trading their very lives to false gods in blind faith of a maligned belief..."

Thoughtfully the young knight turned her attention back to the maps scattered about the table. Looking at them, she recalls the large force the lizardmen had attacked their trap with. "Even to know we were planning a deception to trap them, the force they struck with was quite sizable. It would take considerable.. logistics, is it not called, to move that many soldiers into place and keep them concealed. Not to mention giving accomidation to returning with their stolen goods and kidnapped people."

She leaned over a little to rest a hand on one of the maps, reconizing the area displayed as similar to where their 'trap' had been planned. Unfortunately the rest of the locations mean little to her unfamiliarity with the lands. Though Cirra might be trying to pick up on a similar thread.

"Flame General?" Athela looked up to the mountainous man. Many people probably found him imposing, and indeed he was. But at the same time, his job was much the same as her own, and she asked her questions with no disrespect, only her own curiosity trying to puzzle through this. "I presume your men have kept track of all the locations raided? Or that other resources have disappeared from? That would not be easy to move about, even if they normally use squads only a third of the size the one we were counter-ambushed with. They have to have a proximity location, both to stay close to their targets, and in contact with this spy or whatnot they have."

Celes Chere (1081) has posed:
    "I see. Then it really could be anyone. I would place doubt on whoever's in charge of scheduling the patrols first and foremost, but when you think about it it could be anyone with access to the schedules. Pointing fingers too hastily would cause more harm than good," Celes admits with a sigh, but at least shge seems to be on the same page as Raubahn.

    A glance at Athela, before Celes steps closer to the maps. "She's on to something. If you can mark every single target the Amalj'aa have hit, we should be able to tell the range of their territory. They'll likely be close to the center of it, unless they've historically been smart enough to avoid such a tell. Are they that clever?"

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Swift... shuffles through the maps, before pulling a large sheet of parchment out... with a map of Southern and Eastern Thanalan. There's a smattering of red marks leading between Camp Drybone and Little Ala Mhigo along with lines leading off in suspected directions of travel of the raiding parties. "It's a large area, but all of the attacks have lead to supplies being carried off to the south. So, that puts their base of operations..." He pulls out map just of Southern Thanalan, and circles in the region of Zahar'ak. "Here." That region is noticeably sectioned off with notes and question marks. "These are all box canyons and cliffs and are where the Imperials and the Ul'dans pushed the beastmen over the years." He says this not without some irony. At least the Six Races know what it is they've done over the years to complicate things.
    Rauhban murmurs. "The problem is, if they have access to their own linkshells, that spy could be anywhere."

    Raha suddenly shakes awake with a start, eyes refocusing a little bit as he bluhs and stammers and his ears flutter. "Mihk, you... how much energy a-are we talking? Like... Would an aetheryte be enough to maintain a link? Like... a full aetheryte?"

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk looks over at N'raha. "Potentially, yes. Aetherytes are essentially just large Aether Crystals... if one were properly attuned..." she furrows her brow. "What makes you ask? You have been quiet and rather unattentive for this entire discussion."

Celes Chere (1081) has posed:
    "Canyons and cliffs, that would give them a tremendous advantage defending themselves... the ideal setup would be to strike from above after figuring out where exactly we need to drop." A glance towards Raha and Mikh, musing. "I saw your Aetherytes, through the city. They're large and visible. If the Amalj'aa have such a thing too, it should be trivial to spot from above. Then we'd know exactly where to strike."

    If she were still in the Empire, certainly she'd suggest none of this matters and to just take an entire squad of Magitek Armor and enter through the front gates. Magitek is a terrible technology, but the impact it had to taking these kinds of decisions is pretty easy to feel when you don't have access to it.

Athela Valemore has posed:
Athela Valemore moves over a bit to look at the marked map Swift has pulled up while he's explaining, and points out Zahar'ak. "Canyons and other mountainous formations that they would be able to fortify to protect themselves," she nods in agreement with Celes. "Even knowing they are there, they would be difficult to retaliate upon.. Might even have tunnels reaching towards the other areas that they could be using to escape notice."

A small sigh escapes her, and one hang goes to rest on the tuffed hilt Resolute Blade sheathed from her belt. It was a motion of reassurance, to feel that representation of her diety close at hand. "Zealots thrive on aboslute certainty in their source of power and beliefs, to the point of complete disregard of their own minds and lives to the sake of the cause... You may be right about having already summoned Ifrit and now collecting energy and sacrifices to strengthen his 'anchor' here. That would be the sort of assurance in their purpose to begin reaching farther and taking more dangerous, more -organized- actions to do so."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Raha... blushes, when Mihk catches his inattentiveness, and shuffles around for one of those pieces of charcoal on the table to make some scribbles on a spare sheet of paper. "Uh... I had an Echo. I saw... An Amalj'aa priest and a bunch of others... Praying and chanting..." The scribbles continue.

    Swift looks over to Athela, and frowns. "That would indeed explain the increased attacks, the needs of the Amalj'aa to keep getting the resources. Certainly keeping Ifrit here... and let him gain power... will require more and more Aether."
    Rauhban looks to the others, and prods Swift as Celes makes an excellent point. "We have access to airships, Lady Chere. Not as many of the combat variety as before the Calamity, but we do have them. What would you and the others need to get in there, if this pans out?"

    Raha is still drawing, but it looks like a very rough sketch of a cobbled together Aetheryte using a massive corrupted crystal. "This, they were around this." He holds up the sketch to Mihk, the only proper magic user in the room. "Would you be able to find something like this, in Southern Thanalan?"

Celes Chere (1081) has posed:
    "Likely, just one ship, Flame General, and a distraction to keep the Amalj'aa from swarming us too badly. I have magic that'll let us float down towards the ground without needing to present large, visible targets like parachutes. If they've fortified the ground, we won't have to worry about walls and gates. We'll need to protect the ship from ballistas or anything similar they might be able to construct. I can handle at least some of the spells they might throw at us."

    She turns towards Raha, looking at his sketch and adding: "And the means to find that. It'd be best if we knew where it was before we flew in, so that the pilot can get us directly there without needing to waste any time and remain open to attacks longer than needed."

    That really just leaves one question. "But what do we do once we find it? Will destroying their Aetheryte immediatly banish Ifrit?"

Athela Valemore has posed:
Athela Valemore taps a finger against her sword's hilt. "Even if not directly, if they are using it to hold him here, breaking it would still be in our favor. If we can get to it, that is. Breaking the connection keeping their Primal active would be a savage blow to this confidence they've built up, making their efforts appear futile. It won't stop them from continuing to act up, but it will shake their resolve."

She stands up, raising the hand to tap the finger against her headpiece near the temple instead. "From my experience with zealots, it is a battle that must be painful to their mind and beliefs, perhaps even moreso than physically."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Raubahn claps Raha on the shoulder, and grins. Raha oofs and rocks in place. "Then it's settled! Once Detective Lihzeh is able to provide us with the coordinates of their device, we will make sure you heroes are able to get in and destry it, and banish the Lord of the Inferno back to the hellsdamned pits he came from."

    Kebbe snickers a bit at Raha's plight, but the rest of the room starts nodding and planning and... scheming. Now who in the world could be scheming on a night like this?