Closed [Ino Vations]To catch a poisoner[Inoadar]

[Clyde Sullins]

"I am aware of how will is the hinge that hypnotic success turns upon. I am citing it as both the cause of Wrenmae's success AND my eventually shaking it off." "First, I am not that sure we are talking about the same stage of our conflict. Except for my reference to my "defensive measure", where I recruited Amolina, I have been referring only to the initial confrontation in my old shop, in the presence of Marcus Ayhsen." "Now, I think I understand your statement about the power of a spell. And I can see that being entirely true of something as...tangible...as a fire ball. But with something, as you yourself describe, as subtle as hypnotism, the power of the...caster...I believe would be only one element. There would be the "approach" in how the lie is impressed upon the target. But also the innate vulnerability of the target, at that exact time, TO that specific approach." As Nolan continued, he was a bit confused. The poisoner seemed to be rebutting him, but was simply agreeing and restating much of what Clyde had said. At least to a point. Perhaps then he had not been clear enough in how he measured a spell of hypnotism. It was a simple enough matter, and logically bound, as was much of his innate understanding of hypnotism that he had previously stated to Nolan. Such came from a combination of sources, his general understanding of djed, personal magics such as Reimancy, and his use of Magecrafting. Combining that while appraising things logically, and comparing to the various effects of hypnotism and their end effects, Clyde was able to work up a basic enough understanding of the magic of hypnotism, with some assumptions made. Clyde had long since noticed both the interconnectedness, and the similarities, between different magics. All had a similar root, and through more or less straightforward means were powered similarly through djed or djed effects. One didn't need to know every little fact about every little magic, so long as one had a good foundation, some examples to go by, and a thorough understanding of djed theory. Clyde had all of these. "For myself, while I have no skill in hypnosis, I would assume there to be far more than the simple amount of "power" the practitioner has. Consider, for instance, a lie spoken without hypnosis. A "better" liar will know how to word it more smoothly; how to broach the subject in a more seemingly innocent fashion; how to imply corroboration that does not truly exist; and how to play upon the convictions he has learned that the target possesses ahead of time. The point being that two different people telling the same lie, about the same topic, to two different targets, could have vastly different levels of success, even though the lies are of the exact same degree of believability." “I don't see how any of that is disagreeing or rebutting my own words, though perhaps a few bits of what I said could use some rephrasing. As I said though, a spell is measured by its end result, and by its subtlety. The same end result, carried about by more or less subtlety, would then require more effort and djed spent. As I stated the spell used upon you was in your own framework of thought, and so was possible to be used more subtly and with more finesse, instead of a brute force overwhelming effect as was used on myself. When I say that the spell worked within or without ones framework of thought, I am referring more so to the degree of change caused by the spell of hypnotism, and those the inherent djed spent to cause said effect of change.” "And I believe that hypnosis would compound this tremendously. And I believe this all came into play with Wrenmae's actions. There is still one aspect of which I think you may be unaware. Just a few days prior to the meeting with Marcus and you was the event of my conversion to Rhysol's fold!" "I was enrapt with the salvation at hand; rejoicing over the feeling that I'd finally found a god worthy of worship! One that set aside my offenses and acknowledged my abilities as useful and worthy of contribution. The main one being, at that time, that glyphed bird skull, and my prayers that it could be used to destroy My God's enemies." "..and it was in this frame of mind that Wrenmae "impressed" upon me his status as one of his god's chosen, led to me by his god, come to see me rise in status among His fold. I could not have BEEN in a more perfect state of eagerness to be deceived. My will WAS strong. But it strong towards the wrong end. But it was also because Wrenmae was not actually trying to deceive me. His god was Vayt, not Rhysol!" It was clear by his words that the change caused by Wrenmae was even smaller than Clyde had previously thought, and even smaller and more subtle working, a smaller change or effect upon him. Instead of rewriting anything, he had simply added a small bit, attaching it to his own framework of thought, and then let it take the direction he expected. But of course in this simpler act of hypnotism, he also left himself more open to issues due to its vagueness, as occurred in this case clearly. But then had he been more explicit, he might have had a higher risk of Nolan rejecting it, or noticing the oddity, and thus would have had to use a much more djed expensive and brute force tactic to do a similar end result as he'd desired. "As a poisoner, I guess he assumed that Vayt would be MY god as well, and did not need to be clarified. And certainly I DO revere Vayt. But only as a worthy adherent to the Supreme God, Rhysol. But in my diverted mind, I thought Wrenmae was sent by Rhysol to bring me to new heights in His service. I could not have been more eager to believe...The lie being perfectly imposed upon me, I accepted it with absolute conviction." More clear, Clyde did see the train of thought Nolan was following, his line of understanding and decision making. It did not make it any more or less right, but it did make more sense. "...And then you spoke ill of both Wrenmae and his magic..." "In that instant, you became the embodiment of all that stood to prevent me from rising in Rhysol's glory. And worse, since we were engaged in the pursuit of a traitor, it did not seem outlandish that you were there specifically to undermine that effort." "In fairness, I do not blame Wrenmae for the gamut of offenses I imagined you being guilty of. But by the time I'd realized that my behavior was shockingly out of character, and that I'd been "bent", WE were already enemies and I'd already had you tell me all about the ease, and lack of warning, with which you could destroy me. And the rest is...as they say...history. And I would very much like it to remain that way." "What I mean is that this was not a lie that ran contrary to my established beliefs, like yours regarding the truth of magic. It was in line with my search for how to more devotedly surrender my will to Rhysol. If someone was to now try to force me to believe that poisons do not truly work, I do not think I would believe it for a single chime. And now I will certainly be on guard for subtle twists of my beliefs. I believe my will to be strong." “You say that, but you are still thinking within the framework of the spells you have seen prior, of the hypnotic effects. As I've said, while the more subtle effects need to be in line with ones thinking, and needs to work within ones framework of thought, not all such effects are so subtle, nor need to be, even if those are the more costly and difficult to do spells. You assume that you would not be affected, because you currently know of poisons, and of its existence... But do you not think I would have thought the same, before what happened to me? With enough force even a mountain can be crumbled. With magic it is the same. I do not doubt that as you said you could defend yourself from further subtle charms, but hypnotism is not all subtle.” “Djed is spent in transmutations, in changes. The greater the djed spent, the greater the change. Such is a rule of magic. A basic one. In Magecrafting for example, the more djed put into an item, the stronger the enchantment, and the further from the norm the item becomes. Normally a wooden staff such as this is quite fragile. As it is now so enchanted, it could likely trade blows with a sword and not be so much as scratched. This is because of the djed spent in changing it from its innate state.” “With Reimancy, the more djed I spend, the greater the effect. I can control more, or create more. Such, I do not doubt, is not to different from hypnotism. I also do not doubt that if enough djed was spent to cause a great enough change in you, by a great enough user of hypnotism, not only would you believe that poison did not work, you would gladly take a bottle off the wall and drink it just to prove it to someone, so deeply would you believe. It would not be a small task, not an easy one, and certainly not a subtle thing, but within the realm of possibility clearly. I doubt hypnotists of such a caliber are common, but they do exist.” "And I know who I am. I am Trandino Adarius, which name I reject, in favor of the name by which Rhysol and his city has come to know me: 'Nolan Parnell', a man whose identity I usurped upon his death, at my hands, during the riots a year and a half ago. I am a man who has paid numerous penalties for his foolishness. And deserved all of them. A man questioned, tortured, and released by The Warden of The Black Hole. A man who believes that any who feel they suffer injustice in this life, surely escaped justice in their LAST life, and are only now paying the price for it." "As for this complaint, I suppose it's possible that in the jostling of a move, some seal might have been broken. But I find it difficult to believe I missed something of that nature. I check such things meticulously. Nonetheless, if you can give me more details I will see what I can do." Clyde paused for a moment, thinking over what he said, and taking a moment to breath and think. Cha still hummed quietly in his hand, a gentle thrumming in the background. “Honestly, the details I was given were limited, and it was not considered wholly necessary for me to know the total of all of the complaints and what exactly happened, in order to do this inspection. Why don't you show me where you store the poisons where customers could interact with them, and where you store other poisons and things, along with where you actually make the poisons. That should be a good start.”

[Inoadar]

Inoadar was nodding before Clyde finished, "Well, that's very enlightening. And no, I guess I'm not really disagreeing with you about the nature of such spells. I had just converted, and was eager to embrace some sort of recognition. So the impression that "My God" had sent someone to bring me into the fold was exactly what I was praying for. I had no reason not to believe it. It fell in line with what Marcus had said to me. So Wrenmae really didn't need to put a lot of change into it. He just needed a nudge, and I bought it completely."

He gave the mage a slightly annoyed look, "But I still get the idea that you don't consider it an excuse for my behavior. Well, I agree in part. I did not HAVE to have gotten so immediately belligerent, in such close proximity. I could have taken Marcus aside, stated my suspicions, and let him decide. I can tell you, I wish now that I had."

The poisoner shrugged, "He'd have probably told me I was mad...In fact, he did, but that was after the fact. But the point is, that this very fact of my behavior was what began to trigger my release from the spell's hold. I knew it was not like me to be so...public...with my likes and dislikes. But where I think we diverge is in my belief that my feeling of "duty" excuses my feeling that Wrenmae is more to blame than myself."

He could just feel Clyde's eyes rolling, "Consider, please. If you are given an order to dispose of a man that your superior claims is an enemy, do you hesitate to obey? If that order then turns out to be wrong, are YOU to blame for not "exerting your will" to defy a legitimate order? No, your Commander is, although he will probably find a way to shift blame to you." He said this with a smirk.

"Now it's true, Wrenmae was not technically my superior. But he caused me to believe he was sent by Rhysol to guide me. So anything disparaging to HIM was as an insult to Rhysol himself, in my mind. And it was my duty to respond." he sighed, "Now looking back, I fully acknowledge my arrogance in thinking glorious Rhysol would bother to send an...emissary...for such as me."

He shook his head and waved off the annoyance he assumed was lingering. "But of course, this is all moot now. The only reason this matters so much to me, is that I want to convince you that there IS reason to know that this will never happen again...But if you choose to believe I am making undue excuse, that is your right. And by the way, if you meant that you were impressed to believe that magic did not exist, BEFORE you ever practiced it, then that IS amazing."

Now he returned to the subject of the complaint, looking somewhat troubled. "I do not allow customers beyond the front shop, so if anyone got an accidental poisoning, it would have had to happen there. No one...er...not on official business anyway...no one has reason to be back here, so I do not take the precautions I do with finished, packaged products. Nor do I have a "discount" section yet, where I might place such things. I did so in my last shop." He added quickly, "But they were clearly marked with a "caution" sign. I simply have not been in business here long enough to have had anything become worthy of discounting."

He gestured to the various doors leading off of the storeroom, "Would you like to see the Ice House? The Office? The Dock? The Security Cells? Upstairs is just my living quarters. The roof is made like a patio. Just say the word."

[Clyde Sullins]

"Well, that's very enlightening. And no, I guess I'm not really disagreeing with you about the nature of such spells. I had just converted, and was eager to embrace some sort of recognition. So the impression that "My God" had sent someone to bring me into the fold was exactly what I was praying for. I had no reason not to believe it. It fell in line with what Marcus had said to me. So Wrenmae really didn't need to put a lot of change into it. He just needed a nudge, and I bought it completely." Clyde knew well enough how Rhysol did his work. For all he knew Wrenmae himself didn't exist, and was simply some form of Rhysol attempting to cause strife and discord amongst his own people. Though he doubted Rhysol would resort to such things... Perhaps as a secondary party? Or perhaps uninvolved entirely. Sometimes it was easy to forget that not all chaos was directly caused by Rhysol, even in Ravok. Some just occurred naturally, without his intervention or cause. "But I still get the idea that you don't consider it an excuse for my behavior. Well, I agree in part. I did not HAVE to have gotten so immediately belligerent, in such close proximity. I could have taken Marcus aside, stated my suspicions, and let him decide. I can tell you, I wish now that I had." Cha agreed, settling deeper within his grip, the same familiar hum of her aura brushing against him vaguely as he did his work, as he listened mundanely to this man and his speaking, and watched and absorbed magically all that came off of him. It was still somewhat odd, this new sensing he'd discovered, that showed him the mans focus just before he went there. It was almost like knowing where he was about to turn to, or look at, or walk to, just before he did. Surely there was a name for it, a particular technique, but it was not one commonly done and so not one Clyde had heard of. "He'd have probably told me I was mad...In fact, he did, but that was after the fact. But the point is, that this very fact of my behavior was what began to trigger my release from the spell's hold. I knew it was not like me to be so...public...with my likes and dislikes. But where I think we diverge is in my belief that my feeling of "duty" excuses my feeling that Wrenmae is more to blame than myself." Clyde let out a sigh, not thinking on Nolan or his words, but on his own experience. If only he'd been given the chance to notice something off, to notice the spell upon him and fight it of his own accord. Alas, the conviction laid upon him was too strong, and he'd had little chance of noticing it, when the source of the problem, magic, was what he was convicted to not believe in. How could one go to a solution, and use it to banish something, when that very solution was the thing taken away? As he thought and reflected on himself, Clyde's attention waned, and his aura focus split a little. He was still focused on Nolan, the poisoner, but he also began to look briefly upon his own aura. He was strong enough an aurist that he could look at quite a number of them at once, so two was not a problem really. But it did slow down his ability to look deeper at Nolan's, by spreading his attention. His own aura flared into his sight, running down his arm from Cha, the same bright silvery color his res and djed always looked to him. "Consider, please. If you are given an order to dispose of a man that your superior claims is an enemy, do you hesitate to obey? If that order then turns out to be wrong, are YOU to blame for not "exerting your will" to defy a legitimate order? No, your Commander is, although he will probably find a way to shift blame to you." "Now it's true, Wrenmae was not technically my superior. But he caused me to believe he was sent by Rhysol to guide me. So anything disparaging to HIM was as an insult to Rhysol himself, in my mind. And it was my duty to respond." "Now looking back, I fully acknowledge my arrogance in thinking glorious Rhysol would bother to send an...emissary...for such as me." At this point, Clyde finally did stop for a moment, and answer. Though it wasn't strictly an answer to the questions posed, more a question of his own, or a general pondering being urged upon Nolan. “You assume that I've never been given such an order... But playing along that I haven't, and that I now am, I would not likely simply outright kill the man. For one it is better to know your foe, to talk to them, understand them, before attempting anything so crass as death. Make up an excuse to talk to them, carry on, gain their measure. So long as they are not a current and immediate threat requiring immediate action, I would not simply kill them upon sight. Unfortunately in my line of work, it is rare that such a civilized route is possible. Instead it generally entails men with swords and such running at me, quite clearly wanting me dead, and requiring little thought to deal with.” Clyde paused for a moment, before continuing. “Rhysol by his nature begets chaos, and distrust. Loyalty is subjective so long as one is not directly working against. Trust is subjective when for all we know each of the other of us is Rhysol himself in disguise, or some person on the street is secretly him. Well for you, between my magic and being marked by Rhysol, I would at least know of a connection between him and me, if not outright knowing he was he. But for most, they have no indicator that Rhysol is Rhysol, and not someone he is pretending to be, unless he wishes to reveal so.” “Perhaps you have a different view of Rhysol than I, but I do not see him as you appear to. I do not think he wants blindly loyal servants doing his bidding without a thought. Why would he, when that is not his domain? We are not the knights of Syliras. I think he expects and allows for a degree of questioning and distrust, so long as we are not outright disloyal and against him and those of him. I think Rhysol is a strong god, and does not need us to defend him in every statement against him. In fact, should such a statement further his cause, I do not doubt he would enjoy such a thing being said, and perhaps privately get a chuckle out of it and its seemliness against him.” “Perception is but a tool of chaos, when the opposite of said perception is the truth. It is not about the degrees with him, nor with the specifics, but about the end result. Rhysol is more concerned I believe with it, with the end result, than with how it is done. Rhysol wants initiative and ingenuity, and intelligence, not blindly loyal drones always acting and reacting the same. In fact, I think he'd find that boring. Difference and ingenuity are one form of chaos. And often Chaos is about lateral thinking.” "But of course, this is all moot now. The only reason this matters so much to me, is that I want to convince you that there IS reason to know that this will never happen again...But if you choose to believe I am making undue excuse, that is your right. And by the way, if you meant that you were impressed to believe that magic did not exist, BEFORE you ever practiced it, then that IS amazing." Clyde was once more confused by his statement, as it did not make sense. How would it be more impressive to be convinced magic did not exist before knowing of magic? “I do not see how, nor am I sure I understand what you mean. But in my case I was convinced that magic did not exist, was not a real thing, during a point at which I was already a regular practitioner of magic. In fact, I'd just finished doing a bit of magic, and practicing with another mage, when it all occurred. I do not understand how not knowing of magic would make it more impressive to be convinced of its falsity of existence.” "I do not allow customers beyond the front shop, so if anyone got an accidental poisoning, it would have had to happen there. No one...er...not on official business anyway...no one has reason to be back here, so I do not take the precautions I do with finished, packaged products. Nor do I have a "discount" section yet, where I might place such things. I did so in my last shop." "But they were clearly marked with a "caution" sign. I simply have not been in business here long enough to have had anything become worthy of discounting." "Would you like to see the Ice House? The Office? The Dock? The Security Cells? Upstairs is just my living quarters. The roof is made like a patio. Just say the word." Clyde nodded, gesturing for Nolan to take the lead. He could still see himself and Nolan, even when he blinked his eyes, like two glowing balls of pulsing light in a open void of blackness. But only when his mundane sight was open could he see the room, and the ground, and all manner of other things, and things besides the two auras he was focused upon. “All of those I suppose, along with explaining what is done in each, and what each area is used for. And assuming none of those are it, I'd like to see where the poisons are made and stored, in addition.”

[Inoadar]

Inoadar nodded, by way of a bow, and took the lead. he pointed to a pair of doors on the left, identifying the first one as the door to the lab, and the second as the office. "But if you don't mind, I actually need to see to the Ice house first. It is at the back of this storeroom."

They passed a row of warehouse-style shelving units,most of which were not heavily packed. In days to come, there would be more and more residual materials stored there. But for now, there was nothing that was not currently on a usage schedule. The poisoner identified several bundles of vine and roots, explaining which parts were used for which toxins or reagents. He assured Clyde that the extracts taken from them would be either in use, or in wait to BE used in the lab.

He cited several other sources and offered samples to examine; all of which were either non-toxic in their present state of processing, or sealed to maintain both safety and freshness. There were arboreal samples, leaves, bark, nuts and the like; aquatic varieties, which Inoadar explained were compounds he was fully able to create himself, but oddities in the necessities of processing actually made in more cost-effective to buy the finished products, from either Zeltiva or Sunberth, than to pay merchants for the different elements required to make them.

"Once the process is complete, the vulnerabilities to being exposed to common environmental conditions is no longer detrimental to the potency. But the separate elements are very delicate prior to that." He brought Clyde to a trio of glass enclosures containing arachnids capable of being milked for powerful toxins. There was a fourth, which also contained emaciated remains of a few dead rodents. The victims had what appeared to be pins sticking from their corpses.

"This is a 'Brown Blowgun'. It's attack style is not a bite. It metabolizes a portion of its webbing material into a dart-like projectile, coats it with venom, and blows it through a natural tube. It is quite an extraordinarily accurate shot, I can attest to that first hand. The venom is a paralytic, which allows it to consume its victim more leisurely. The venom is not the only product gleaned from this little beauty. The needle itself is perfect for the darts I use, as well as having medical applications." Inoadar looked with genuine affection at the spider as he spoke.

Then with sigh of mild frustration, he commented on his present failure, despite having made a few attempts, to capture a working pair of 'Fogweavers' to make "Silk Streak" poison from. He showed Clyde a note pad, with a schedule of treatments that would bestow immunity to cottonmouth bites to a hunter he knew. The same process allowed for the production, from the man's blood, of an antitoxin usable by anyone. "His promised availability for these blood draws is the price he's agreed to pay for the immunity treatments." he explained.

The finally reached the Ice house, and Inoadar showed Clyde a variety of cold stored packets and vials of compounds. He unwrapped a few, some in bare hands, some in gloves, or with the wrapping to insulate them from the toxins present. "Some of these items are not kept here for shelf-life purposes. A few MUST be worked while in this hardened form for better consistency. Still others are frozen as the very means OF extracting the necessary element. You've no doubt seen how soil will crystalize when it freezes? The way it "crunches" underfoot? This is way of getting a significant amount of water from a compound, without having to outright "dry" it. This is important in some chemicals."

After a few more disclosures of his expertise, Inoadar led Clyde to the door of the lab and held up a finger to have him pause while he peeked through the small window in the door. He cupped his chin for a moment, his brow furrowed, the turned back to the Stryfer. "I'm afraid Vera is making an inhalation modification to a contact-type toxin right now. I would strongly advise that we go check the office or docks right now. She will be spraying down the lab with a neutralizing agent when she is done. It will be safe for us to enter after that, but..."

He studied the exact equipment and settings for a few ticks, "...it looks to be a good ten or twelve chimes before she'll be done in there, judging by the measure of the condensation drip level." he smiled proudly. "That little girl is only eleven years old, and she's already quite competent at moderate level processes. She's a natural. I bought her exactly for that reason. Her background in herbalism was going to waste on the fat merchant that I got her from. And she is now a full citizen in her own right."

As if aware of the praise, the little dark-haired, olive-skinned girl looked up. A smile beamed from her dark eyes, confirmed by the bunched cheeks evident beneath the face mask. She waved and Inoadar gave her a single wave that was half a salute.

he now led Clyde into his office. It was of average size, it's furnishings simple; desk, some shelves, a few chairs, file cabinets and such. Inoadar paused to see if Clyde would notice the inconsistency of overall depth at this point compared to the dimensions indicated by the outside of the building. If he'd been observant, he'd realize that there was a room "missing" that would have to form the corner of the building, behind the office and to the side of the ice house.

[Clyde Sullins]

It seemed Nolan was satisfied enough with giving a tour, and took the lead on said venture, starting it off with a bow. Clyde found that a bit odd, but decided not to comment. Clyde noted what was said, where the lab was, where the office was, and kept his eyes and ears open. "But if you don't mind, I actually need to see to the Ice house first. It is at the back of this storeroom." Next was a room of shelves, with various items on them. For the most part they were not overly in use, in fact the room's shelving seemed oddly sparse. Notably so. Clyde knew more or less nothing of the workings of poisons, though he did have a smidgen of experience in working in plants and herbs, so that made a bit more sense. Using the effects of one item, for a finished product... That was something that Clyde knew all to well as a Magecrafter. Many of the plants seemed harmless, bits of a tree, seed, other smaller plants and such. If he had stumbled upon them in the wild, he might not have given them a second thought. It certainly reminded him that he needed to brush up on his herb lore, and on what might kill him or hurt him. The accident on Sahova with the berries that gave him the runs had brought that starkly to light. "Once the process is complete, the vulnerabilities to being exposed to common environmental conditions is no longer detrimental to the potency. But the separate elements are very delicate prior to that." This was another thing that made sense. Clyde knew all to well from his own practice as a world mage, that a half finished product was often more dangerous than a finished one, even when it wasn't supposed to be dangerous at all. Next was spiders and dead rats, held in glass containers. Nolan then launched into a somewhat lengthy explanation of the spider, and its unique capabilities. "This is a 'Brown Blowgun'. It's attack style is not a bite. It metabolizes a portion of its webbing material into a dart-like projectile, coats it with venom, and blows it through a natural tube. It is quite an extraordinarily accurate shot, I can attest to that first hand. The venom is a paralytic, which allows it to consume its victim more leisurely. The venom is not the only product gleaned from this little beauty. The needle itself is perfect for the darts I use, as well as having medical applications." A paralytic... It seemed vaguely interesting, perhaps something Clyde could use one day, though at the immediate moment he did not see much purpose. But he supposed in certain circumstances, for certain peoples, it would be very useful. The mention of immunity to a poison, of making someone as such, was an interesting thing. It also opened up other ideas and concepts to Clyde's thoughts. That seemed even more useful than the poisons itself, if one could make one immune to something, especially if another thought you were not immune and then expected the poison to do such and such... “How long does this immunity last? I suppose it only works for the said one poison, but is that person then immune to it forever, or does it require repeat sessions every so often? And is there any side effects of such immunity treatment?” When they got to the cold house, Clyde noted the way Nolan handled certain things. Some he picked up, others he only touched through a barrier of cloth, and others he was even more careful with. Clearly some of the things here were quite active. "Some of these items are not kept here for shelf-life purposes. A few MUST be worked while in this hardened form for better consistency. Still others are frozen as the very means OF extracting the necessary element. You've no doubt seen how soil will crystalize when it freezes? The way it "crunches" underfoot? This is way of getting a significant amount of water from a compound, without having to outright "dry" it. This is important in some chemicals." While Clyde was learning much about the process of making poisons, he knew that was not his purpose in being there. Still though, his thoughts moved in other manners. Looking at both his own aura, and that of Nolan, he noted a few oddities between the two. Or comparisons between them, where a similar change happened in both, a similar sound or movement of the djed... After a chime Clyde realized that what he was seeing was the perception of their bodies, of their skin, cooling in the cold air. Odd to see a change in an aura like that. If he hadn't been looking at both of them, he likely would not have picked up on it. "I'm afraid Vera is making an inhalation modification to a contact-type toxin right now. I would strongly advise that we go check the office or docks right now. She will be spraying down the lab with a neutralizing agent when she is done. It will be safe for us to enter after that, but..." Clyde found no issue in that, it seemed simple enough to avoid a active area in which poisons were being made or altered... Though he did wonder why such a thing would be done right then, while he was there... "...it looks to be a good ten or twelve chimes before she'll be done in there, judging by the measure of the condensation drip level." The slave seemed happy enough, well treated, not mishandled, and well enough fed. It did not appear that there was any issue then with the treatment of said slaves, or mistreatment of his property. Such an offense might result in said person having the slave taken away, for the slaves own good, but that was not the case here. "That little girl is only eleven years old, and she's already quite competent at moderate level processes. She's a natural. I bought her exactly for that reason. Her background in herbalism was going to waste on the fat merchant that I got her from. And she is now a full citizen in her own right." Next was Nolan's office, a simple enough room. Though Clyde did recall him mentioning before a security cells. Something he had not seen on his tour. As he scanned the room, he got an odd vibe, a odd sound to it, but could not put his finger upon it. “Didn't you mention something of a security cells? We have yet to see those... And also, does anyone else work or stay here? I've seen the one girl, but not anyone else.” Clyde paused for a moment, thinking, thinking back to a mention of poisons in the summoning text he had, albeit in a short entry. It had been something about a poison that one should not touch or breath in... A poisonous plant that covered an entire planet to summon from. Of course, since it was not native to Mizahar, perhaps it was not widely known. “And tell me... Have you ever heard of a plant called Vilemoss? I once read of it in a book, and thought it might be something you'd know of.” Clyde did wonder if in this one instance, he might know of a poison this poisoner himself didn't... A funny thought... “Most of this seems straightforward enough... You take the poisonous and negative effects in a material, refine or enhance it, and turn it into a poison, usually with similar effects, but in a more stable and storable fashion... Though I wonder how it would work to make a new poison, if you had a unique material or something with a desired effect, but that was not inherently a poison... How then would you go about making a poison of it? Are there rules as to what can be used to turn into a poison?”

[Inoadar]

Inoadar was not sure how much detail Clyde really wanted. For the most part, he seemed quickly disinterested in the technical details. But at times, he definitely "perked up" and wanted more. "Well, only the one that gets the treatment develops true immunity...permanent immunity. However..." he went into his 'seminar mode' again, "...that person's blood is what I derive an antitoxin from. This is only a temporary preventative, of course, and itself requires a few stages of processing. Furthermore, it is only a narrow class of toxins that are safeguarded against. For instance, the treatment for cottonmouth immunity would probably aid greatly in resisting the effects of a rattlers venom, as their debilitating properties are quite similar. But the bite of the newly discovered "Rhysol's Viper" would still drive a man to lethal insanity and suicidal terror, despite this antitoxin."

Anyone looking would see the wistful look in Inoadar's eyes as he spoke of this unique serpent. Clearly, he wanted a specimen of his own someday. "The treatments are simply slow, steady introductions of increasing dosages of the snake's venom, over time, until the body builds up a resistance. This cottonmouth version took two full seasons of about every three or four days, with a few changes for unexpected recovery times. The same can be done with pretty much any kind of toxin, expense being the most likely obstacle."

Inoadar had to grin at Clyde's perception. "Indeed I did mention a security area. I apologize, but I wanted to see if you would note the absence of a door from either here or the Ice House into this corner of the building. The same is true of the passage to my home upstairs. They both lie beyond this bookcase." He went to his desk and removed a metal ruler. As he carried it over to the bookcase, he pointed at the decorative scroll work on the facings on the side panels.

"I got this idea from a cabinet I came across in an ancient facility that I helped the Black Sun investigate last Spring. You simply insert the "zero" end of the ruler into the third slot down on the right side. It goes deeper than the others, and you must insert it face down. It has a magnet that releases a catch." He performed the action as he described it, and there was a sliding click. The bookcase eased forward just a hair and was now as easily opened as any other door.

Beyond were three identical spaces enclosed with barred doors, running from left to right, with a space in front to walk past and observe the detainees inside. All were currently empty. The nearest of the three spaces, however, contained a stairway up. "That goes up through the floor in a corner of my cottage. I rest easier knowing I have the same barred door and good lock on this entryway as I do on these holding cells. If I have to, I can reposition the door, locking it against the left side to turn that walkway into a third cell."

Inoadar did not feel inclined to invite Clyde up to his home, but would certainly accommodate him if requested. "Yes, I have a slave named Burke. He is currently bringing another load of stored goods from the Sanitary Station. He was arrested once, to accommodate having Marcus placed in my employ. But I have since purchased him back from the Slavers. He performs the basic shopkeeper functions here. Vera is not taken seriously enough to prevent blatant theft, and Burke is no chemist. So between the two of them, I have very competent assitance."

Clyde seemed satisfied with the facility so far, making comments that indicated a basic understanding of what went on in the lab and shop. But his comment about a "new poison" and this "vilemoss" struck Inoadar as some kind of lead-in. He took a somewhat assessing pose and studied the mage for a moment. "Are you saying this 'vilemoss' truly exists? I have heard some outlandish stories about it, but figured it was some academic joke. No one seemed to know where it is found, and the things I heard give no clue. Of course, the 'Moss' family of toxins are not one I have made extensive studies of, having found their strong odor to be a setback."

"As for the rules of making poisons, they vary as much as do the sources. Even within a single "family" of poisons there are widely different approaches in both extracting and processing the needed elements. I would assume it to be dried and powdered, like most other mosses, but I would have to actually see some before I could give you a truly responsible assessment...uhh...do you have some?...on you?"

[Clyde Sullins]

"Well, only the one that gets the treatment develops true immunity...permanent immunity. However..." The process was certainly an interesting thing, something he himself should perhaps consider... Being immune to certain common poisons might be of use... He had been poisoned before, or more infected really, with mageworm, a thing that stopped a mages ability to use magic... Perhaps he could be immunized then so as to be unaffected by it next time? But then, since it was a living thing, could one actually become immune to it? Clyde was uncertain on that point. Though perhaps it would be something to ask. "...that person's blood is what I derive an antitoxin from. This is only a temporary preventative, of course, and itself requires a few stages of processing. Furthermore, it is only a narrow class of toxins that are safeguarded against. For instance, the treatment for cottonmouth immunity would probably aid greatly in resisting the effects of a rattlers venom, as their debilitating properties are quite similar. But the bite of the newly discovered "Rhysol's Viper" would still drive a man to lethal insanity and suicidal terror, despite this antitoxin." Clyde did wonder though just how costly and time consuming such a process was. Nolan did not mention it, so he assumed it varied from poison to poison. Though he was glad when he did give an example, so he at least had a measure to mark against. "The treatments are simply slow, steady introductions of increasing dosages of the snake's venom, over time, until the body builds up a resistance. This cottonmouth version took two full seasons of about every three or four days, with a few changes for unexpected recovery times. The same can be done with pretty much any kind of toxin, expense being the most likely obstacle." As Nolan grinned at Clyde, it became clear that his question had been somewhat of a test, seeing if Clyde would not it without being told. Perhaps if he'd thought on it further he might... Or perhaps if he'd inspected the wall or cabinet, he might have seen the opening behind it. But he did not tend to walk about inspecting random walls for thickness, and so it had not come up. "Indeed I did mention a security area. I apologize, but I wanted to see if you would note the absence of a door from either here or the Ice House into this corner of the building. The same is true of the passage to my home upstairs. They both lie beyond this bookcase." Clyde watched then as he went through the process of unlocking and opening the secret area. "I got this idea from a cabinet I came across in an ancient facility that I helped the Black Sun investigate last Spring. You simply insert the "zero" end of the ruler into the third slot down on the right side. It goes deeper than the others, and you must insert it face down. It has a magnet that releases a catch." “Ancient facility? What or where was this ancient facility? Or what was in it? Why were the Sun interested in it? Odd, since they are not usually the sort...” "That goes up through the floor in a corner of my cottage. I rest easier knowing I have the same barred door and good lock on this entryway as I do on these holding cells. If I have to, I can reposition the door, locking it against the left side to turn that walkway into a third cell." Clyde nodded, interested to know where the poisoner slept and kept his home, and further interested in how he chose to hide it. Often hiding something though brought more attention to something than simply leaving it as normal. If someone was walking about with a team of armed guards, it tended to make one wonder why, and wonder what was so important or valuable that they were protecting. "Yes, I have a slave named Burke. He is currently bringing another load of stored goods from the Sanitary Station. He was arrested once, to accommodate having Marcus placed in my employ. But I have since purchased him back from the Slavers. He performs the basic shopkeeper functions here. Vera is not taken seriously enough to prevent blatant theft, and Burke is no chemist. So between the two of them, I have very competent assitance." Clyde mentally noted Burke, and the mentioned tasks he did. A simple shopkeeper... Though Nolan had not recently given Clyde any reason to not trust him, he still felt the man was overly mysterious for no good reason, and was hiding something. Everything seemed normal enough in his response, until the Vilemoss was mentioned. Apparently Nolan had heard of it, though heard of it more so as a rumor, or a myth, than a actual thing. "Are you saying this 'vilemoss' truly exists? I have heard some outlandish stories about it, but figured it was some academic joke. No one seemed to know where it is found, and the things I heard give no clue. Of course, the 'Moss' family of toxins are not one I have made extensive studies of, having found their strong odor to be a setback." "As for the rules of making poisons, they vary as much as do the sources. Even within a single "family" of poisons there are widely different approaches in both extracting and processing the needed elements. I would assume it to be dried and powdered, like most other mosses, but I would have to actually see some before I could give you a truly responsible assessment...uhh...do you have some?...on you?" “No, I suppose most wouldn't know "where" it is, since the where is not "here" but over and through "there." Not something normally reachable through mundane means... But then you've heard of it?” “Anyways, yes it does exist, or at least I'm fairly certain it does. I read about it in a book once, and it included its location, or more to the point its coordinates. And all the other coordinates I read in that book turned out true, so I have no reason to think this one wouldn't also be true.” “As for the question of if I have some on me, no, that seems overly foolhardy, considering at least from what I read that it is unsafe to touch or breath near. Though I suppose with a facility such as this, you would have the proper tools to deal with such a thing... However...” “However, I do know how to get to it, and could open a... Way... To its source, in very little time.” “I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I'm a mage of many talents. I can do many things beyond producing fire and scrawling words of power. One of my other magical skills is that of a magic called Summoning. It works by opening gateways, gateways to other worlds. One such of those worlds, which I have the coordinates for, is for the world upon which the Vilemoss calls home. I suppose if you had the appropriate equipment and room to attempt such a thing, I could open one such gateway. If you'd like.” Clyde finished with a small grin on his face, as he looked at Nolan. When he had mentioned the Vilemoss originally, he had felt a small upset in the thrum of Nolan's aura, its pitch or sound, which was repeated when he spoke of it. Clyde wondered if he would hear a similar pitch from him when Nolan heard his offer and his skill.

[Inoadar]

Inoadar found himself glad that Clyde had asked about the ancient facility research. It gave him an excuse to say no more of anything connected with it, including the Lotus samples he'd found there. "I'm sorry, Mr. Sullins. That was a Black Sun endeavor, and unless you can give me proof of permission, I can tell you nothing of it."

He had been on the verge of speaking about the lotus plants. If he'd mentioned them first, it would have led to this point of 'telling nothing', but he'd have had no prior cause to withhold the lotus topic. But since he'd found them on that excursion, there was now the chance that they could result in a potential unauthorized disclosure of Ravok's secrets, ANY related subject was also to be withheld. Any clue might unravel something best left hidden.

Clyde's thoughts, about how making an effort to conceal something often just brought greater scrutiny, were exactly the attitude Inoadar had about the lotus plants in the Storeroom. Although they were boxed, the boxes were sitting in plain sight. Naturally, Inoadar had no idea that this philosophy was currently running through Clyde's mind about Burke's current absence, or the hidden door upstairs. The poisoner just assumed it was a philosophy that all sensible people shared.

But these concerns were quickly dismissed as Clyde began speaking of Vilemoss with more detail. He made an initially vague reference about "where" to find it, and "not here, but over, and through there" or "normally reachable" and "mundane means". Inoadar was still puzzling out the ramifications of these remarks, and only nodded distractedly when Clyde asked him to confirm that he'd heard of it.

But his puzzlement soon changed to fascination as he listened further. This use of the term "coordinates" struck him. He knew this was a cartographer's term usually. But he'd heard it in bandied about in the magic hall of the IHL, and had guessed it had additional, grander applications.

He'd heard of this specimen being called "ghoul-moss" as well. It was one of the reasons he'd not believed it was more than a myth, a child's scary story even. It was a monstrous thing, if true; turning people into insatiably hungry predators, with a single minded drive to eat. And cursed with such metabolism that they burned what they ate so quickly that they could never eat enough, and became emaciated, shriveled, cannibalistic savages, preying on human flesh...

'What an opportunity! This is on a scale with those 'Lucid Lurker' spiders I've heard about. Well, where Valerius was unable to make that connection in that... town... that... Alavadius... or whatever it was, Clyde sounds like he can conjure this stuff up right now.' his thoughts raced. He tried to hide his eagerness behind a facade of disbelief. And it did not surprise him that Clyde was a student of more then one discipline, but if anything, this 'Summoning' sounded even more reckless than Reimancy.

But his enthusiasm dampened from natural causes as his thoughts hit a brick wall. 'Valdinox! This is something they will want to know about, expect me to reveal, to give them access to. They may even be the ones that sent Clyde. This could be some kind of test...But what kind?...' He'd faced these kinds of tests before. Was it a test of his loyalty? His immediate deference to their bargain to share any new toys? Or was this all a phony to test his ability to keep his mouth shut. As an Ebonstryfer, Clyde could well have been chosen. There were certainly ties between the Valdinox and the Black Sun; between the Black Sun and The Ebonstryfe.

He started slowly, "I'm...finding myself...in a...bit of a...bind, here. I WANT...to be completely forthcoming with you...but...like the 'ancient facility' thing, I am unsure of my leave to speak plainly of it. I would very much like to study this vilemoss. But I am newly affiliated with a family that would expect me to inform them of any progress made in this. If you have no objection to this, then by all means let's see this "gateway".

Thoughts of possible obstacles began to tease his imagination. He'd never imagined any scenario involving other worlds before this. "Perhaps we should do it on the roof, or the dock. Have you ever seen this stuff before? Is it like normal moss in texture and density? I mean, will a simple set of clippers and a hand shovel be sufficient to take a sample? Do I need to prepare an airtight tank first? Is the air on this other world breathable? Do we even actually cross over, or just reach across this 'gateway'?"

[Clyde Sullins]

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sullins. That was a Black Sun endeavor, and unless you can give me proof of permission, I can tell you nothing of it." Though Nolan's reasoning seemed valid enough, he could not help feeling a surge of agitation at the man. Who was he to keep secrets from him? He was of the Stryfe, and he felt he had more authority to know things than he? Though he did not let the emotion show, was apt enough at negotiating to keep it from showing so easily, he still felt the emotion. The response in his own aura was odd, rather like an abrasive sensation exuding off of it, not burning hot but strong all the same. Clyde's own perplexity at having read his own emotion, and knowing his current state, seemed to further prove that he had to an extent been reading Nolan's emotional state. “You seem overly obsessed with secrets, and the keeping of them. Why I wonder did you bring it up, if upon my first question you only say you cannot say anything further? It would lead many to believe that you either want to tell me, and for appearances say you cannot, or are simply showing off by stating things you say you cannot say. I wonder which is the truth here...” Nolan confirmed he had indeed heard of the Vilemoss. In hindsight his responses had been a bit abstract in nature, more by necessity. It was always tricky when talking to a non mage about something so thoroughly magic related. The next peak in emotion though was not his own, but Nolan. It was a buzzing feeling, warm but not hot, in response to his mentioning of his capability in regards to Vilemoss. If Clyde was not totally wrong, he would say it was excitement, though he could not say for certain. But the buzzing, the brushing over of his skin, felt oddly reminiscent of excitement he had felt before, or at least brought up memories of it. But this sensation was short lived, and quickly cut off abruptly, something that puzzled Clyde... The mans measured response afterward hinted at the reasoning, but still left Clyde wondering. "I'm...finding myself...in a...bit of a...bind, here. I WANT...to be completely forthcoming with you...but...like the 'ancient facility' thing, I am unsure of my leave to speak plainly of it. I would very much like to study this vilemoss. But I am newly affiliated with a family that would expect me to inform them of any progress made in this. If you have no objection to this, then by all means let's see this "gateway". Clyde naturally became defensive at hearing of this mans ties to a Ravokian family, and his need to report things to them. While Clyde had nothing to hide, he also didn't like the idea of someone reporting on him. He was a mage, and such things tended to make one secretive in ones knowledge by habit and necessity. Mages who blabbed too much tended to not live long. "Perhaps we should do it on the roof, or the dock. Have you ever seen this stuff before? Is it like normal moss in texture and density? I mean, will a simple set of clippers and a hand shovel be sufficient to take a sample? Do I need to prepare an airtight tank first? Is the air on this other world breathable? Do we even actually cross over, or just reach across this 'gateway'?" “You know, it seems the more I talk to you, the less open you seem to be... Now your telling me your tied to some unknown family, to whom your reporting to. I've already told you things in confidence, things I made clear was told to you, and know you say you'll be telling things to said family. How can I trust you if you now admit there is no privacy between us?” “And you don't travel through a gateway, not as a person, though I suppose you can reach through with things. And things don't just travel through on their own, the air or lack thereof does not pass through the gateway. Though I don't know about discussing or displaying my magics, if you'll be reporting on me. My magics are mine, a part of me, not to be peddled away or spied upon.”

[Inoadar]

Inoadar remained silent, waiting for the hottest part of his brooding reaction to pass before he dared to speak. It just never ended with this guy! The funny thing was, he doubted that Sullins was being as deliberately subtle as the attitude he created would allow him to exploit. Virtually any response Inoadar made, angry, defensive or outright lie, would give a clue.

He sighed heavily. "As I said, I do not wish to withhold anything from you...sir..." The word was pointed as a stiletto. "...but you are not who I answer to. Nor will I say anything of who it IS I answer to. Nor will sulking or badgering bring me to give a reaction that might suggest one family or another. I would assume you have the connections necessary to find this information for yourself." a hint of a sneer touched the corner of his lips, "And if you do NOT, then that is surely by the designs of your superiors."

He did not wish to miss this opportunity, and he supposed that Clyde would now withdraw the offer. But he had now gotten information without reciprocating anything. Where he had not truly believed that this 'Vilemoss' existed before, he now did. And that was enough to start himself on the way to discovery. He also knew it involved 'Summoning', that in itself a second lead.

But for all the past contention, he did not want Clyde to be any more negatively disposed towards him than simply neutral. "I will not ask you then to reveal anything to ME, then. I have said nothing about it thus far, but I have noted indications of scrutiny on your part. That's fine. I can understand that you are not likely to take anything I say at face value. But I'm not going to concern myself with that to the point of betraying any recent promises just to try and please you."

He returned to the bookcase door as if to let Clyde know that he could now leave whenever he wanted. He kept his expression and voice bland. "I will go so far as to say that I have higher placed obligations than you now. If you choose not to believe this, it will only confirm that you still strive to find the worst way of looking at my words and actions. Well, I have been in the Black Hole, interrogated by Ematho himself. Your displeasure is notably less threatening."

He recalled how he'd cowed a whole crowd of workers with the ramifications of killing him, while he posed as a Black Sun agent. His smiling comment that he'd die knowing the far more horrible nature of what would befall them for such a traitorous action. He'd then turned around and told them what they could instead gain through cooperation.

Now he knew this could not work with an Ebonstryfer to such an extent. For one thing, if he suggested that his new affiliation would come down heavily on Clyde for any hostile action here and now, it would be just the sort of clue he was determined NOT to reveal. For another, Clyde was no shore worker, digging holes in the ground. He'd learned from his destruction of his own shop, that blaming his suffering on Clyde netted him very little in the way of seeing Clyde reprimanded.

"Okay Clyde, what else must we do here, for your investigation that is? You want me to come right out and say that I still do not like you? Very well, consider it said. Do you then NOT want me to say that I still think we can work together in spite of it?" he grinned, "Sorry, too late, I've already said it."

He stepped away from the door to stand before Clyde, "I did not mean to suggest I was going to be reporting on you. But truth is, even saying THAT is more than I should, as that would suggest that my duties do not include reporting on people. My duties are whatever I am instructed to do. And right now, they are to continue researching poisons, and reporting what is involved in THAT, which would include any assistance you offered. I am inclined to think that rather then being "reported on", you would be getting CREDIT for your help."