True wisdom is borne of epic fail [Hadrian]

[Tarot]

The man known as Farke seemed to find the sky to be more interesting than Hadrian. He never once looked at him in the eye as the young man spoke his piece, merely gazing up at the slowly rolling clouds. Perhaps this, too, was an interrogation technique. Or maybe he really just liked the clouds and picking out their ever changing shapes. "So that's it," he sighed after a while, when it became clear Hadrian was done talking, "poor Rela, her own golems were her undoing in the end. Of course, your story sounds like a totally unbelievable and overcomplicated plan to kill just one person. Meaning that it is probably true. Drainira is exactly like that." The man stirred slightly on the wagon, his head turning ever so slowly to face the young wizard. He did not seem pleased at all. "Still, there are things you are not telling. The Overseer mentioned a certain… familiarity with Drainira's name that piqued my interest. Surely she couldn't have become a celebrity on the mainland over the scant few seasons she's been on the run? So you either learned about her from a Sahovan, or from one of hers. I cannot see many more options there. Can you? But even that is a minor point, all things considered. The real question is, why Rela?" Farke rapped his fingers on the wagon's railing. "She was neither the best nor the oldest. And yet, to go to such lengths to kill her, specifically. Drainira never does anything without a good reason. In her original plan, Sahova was to be utterly destroyed, but she still left a trap like this behind in the event of that plan failing. Give me a good idea, Hadrian Helius, if you are in a hurry to get back to your life."

[Hadrian]

"If I am withholding anything, it is not on purpose. If you ask more specific questions, I will attempt to give you specific answers and fill in whatever blanks you see. Of course, my first encounter with Drainira was as a bystander in her assassination of Master Rela, so I imagine you would have a better idea what her plan might be than I would. Unless she is as sophisticated as I hear, and is attempting to trick you such that your best responses are exactly the ones that will entangle you further in her web. As I said, she did set the trap for Master Rela in the place she knew Rela would go in the event of her Communicator malfunctioning such as it did. Perhaps she knows you better than you know yourselves, in which case a bit of unexpected behavior and unknown variables would be your best defense." He didn't mention that he might be just such an unknown variable, because he didn't want to get tied up in whatever was happening. It was, he realized quite clearly, beyond his ken and likely to kill him. His logic, so far as it went, however, was sound. "I met some Sahovan Nuit in Zeltiva, travelers and exiles. I do not know much more about Sahova than your average person, and some of what they told me might have been lies to mislead me, but there you have it. I have heard of the name of Archwizard Mashaen's greatest of golems, but as far as I knew when I came here, she was still running Sahova for the betterment of the Nuit enclave. "Now, if you are asking my opinion rather than speaking rhetorically, if I were some evil mastermind and my plan was roughly as I just described and I attacked Master Rela, my guess is that attacking a known quantity such as her would set certain actions into motion... the predictable reactions of the people Drainira has cared for all these centuries... It's a trigger. She's moving chess pieces. So do something she can't anticipate. React with innovation." The last was something he had picked up from Narivan the book-seller back in Zeltiva who had put him on the search for an old settlement near the university town. Innovation kept humanity going after the Valterrian. Perhaps innovation would keep the Nuit safe from their runaway golem. "She's toying with you, I think. If her original plan didn't take you, then she'll undermine your structure... Who knows it better than she? And you'll either destroy yourselves, play into her hand, or at least be weakened for some other contingent or newly devised plan."

[Tarot]

Master Farke pondered Hadrian's words while gazing at the sky. Compared to the mainland, there were very few birds to be seen here. In a way, it was just as dead up there as down below. "What a clever man I've got on my hands; almost makes me rethink my previous assessment of you not being one of Drainira's allies." He was probably not being serious here… probably. "Suppose you are right; let's imagine for a moment that Rela's murder is not the end, but the means to achieve something greater." He rapped his dead fingers on the old wood of the wagon. "Drainira knows Rela's obsession with her work. She knows that if one of her golems were to malfunction she would rush there within moments. She knows that if someone else were involved, Rela would go to great length to pry the info out of them. But of course, if said person is innocent there is nothing to be pried. So she drags the unfortunate sod over to the warehouse and the hacked golems murder her… not before Drainira reveals herself as the culprit for the unfortunate sod to hear. And bam, the unfortunate sod spills the beans to someone from the Council, someone being me." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "So I am baited into investigating the matter further. Logically, the next step is for me to get killed by another, even more sophisticated trap. I could just forget about this whole thing and get back to my work." Farke shook his head. "But that is not going to happen. We are getting to the bottom of this, you and I, no matter how much explosive Drainira stuffed into the Citadel this time around." Apparently Hadrian had just been volunteered to help Farke with the investigation. Maybe as a peer to bounce ideas off of; maybe as a convenient meat shield. Maybe as both. The master got off the wagon and motioned for the young man to follow. "You wanted to get into Sahova. Your wish has just been granted, Hadrian Helius. Treasure the sun while you can still see it. Just in case." The inner doors of the citadel were built into and against the rock. They opened without a noise for the master, revealing a large Vestibule beyond. Farke looked over his shoulder to check if Hadrian was following. "If we ever get separated, be sure to mention you are my guest. It will probably lengthen your life expectancy." There were several corridors branching out from here, most of them going down. They were lit by soft blue artificial lights of an obvious magical origin. "We are starting from Rela's private quarters, unless you have a better idea, Hadrian Helius."

[Hadrian]

Hadrian Aelius glanced up into Syna's unblinking eye for a moment, said a silent prayer to Eyris, or any deity who was listening, that he might see it again. He didn't sigh; they were beyond such theatricality. Mentally, he was just rolling up his sleeves, preparing for the mental exercise upon which they were about to embark. He was going to have to outsmart a genius, centuries-old golem if he wanted to live. Excellent. "Master Farke's guest," he repeated, to assure the Nuit that his human brain was functioning. "I did not understand that Nuit paid much attention to their private quarters, but..." He now wondered if Isikais had paid to cohabit with Hadrian in order to study him as a Morphing model. Here he shook his head. "Private quarters, workshop, and we should interview those closest to her. "Was she involved in anything that sets her apart from other Nuit Animators?" he asked. He wouldn't ask for details, because it would likely be classified information which would necessitate killing him, turning him into a Nuit, or imprisoning him upon the island rather than trusting him to keep things to himself. Even if he would have done so. But he would need information if he was going to be of any use to Master Farke. Though he often relied on his intuition where detailed information was unavailable, it was generally better to have information to work with, to back up those flashes of brilliance with methodical logic.

[Tarot]

They went down a long corridor, only lit by these glowing blue lamps embedded in the walls and other such lights on the floor in the shape of arrows pointing the way to the various wings and facilities of the Citadel. Here, wizards had survived the Valterrian thanks to the shielding of countless layers of solid stone between them and the devastation. The coat of arms of Alahea - the iron gauntlet reaching up for a star or perhaps creating it like a spell - still made show of itself on the walls. "We have our own private quarters, yes. We all need a little sanctuary where we can be reasonably safe from danger, after all. Some separation does not hurt when you have to spend eternity with a number of your peers. You know the saying 'familiarity breeds contempt', yes? Some of us, the masters among the masters, also have their own labs. Rela was not one of them, so she used one of the communal Animation rooms." Farke led Hadrian down a series of claustrophobic corridors until they came across a rather nondescript metal door. "Drainira could have opened this and every other door in the Citadel. She's gone now, so we have reverted to knocking, annoying though it may be." No knocking would be necessary now. Farke opened the door, suddenly more cautious as he stepped in and motioned for Hadrian to follow him. The young wizard found himself in the abode of a Sahovan wizard, an experience only a few could claim for themselves. It was slightly different from the living area of a human, or any other race for that matter. The main room consisted of a square area sparsely furnished with a desk, two chairs, a wardrobe, a chest and two bookcases. In post-Valterrian Mizahar, such a collection of books would indicate a wealthy person, but not so much here. No place for sleeping or eating, though there was a dusty red carpet on one side of the room. More of the blue lights adorned the room, but the presence of candles showed that Rela could enjoy normal light, as well. The other room, much smaller than the first, was for bathing and general body care. The Nuit seemed to take this activity very seriously. The tub actually had iron piping with valves for drawing water. Perfumes and other preservative fluids were to be found on nearby shelves. "Rela was a good Animator," Farke reasoned, "watch out for golems."

[Hadrian]

As they walked down the hallway, Hadrian listened intently, but also kept his eyes wide open. The bluish light cast a strange, ethereal glow onto everything, but between that and his auristic vision -- the one magical skill that had availed him somewhat while on Sahova, if only to help him avoid the odd danger -- he was able to discern a bit more than he would have without it. "Familiarity breeds contempt, yes," he agreed, "and hell is other people." That had come from something or other that he had read; a play, perhaps. His memory wasn't exactly eidetic, but it often bordered on it. "Are there any new golems currently taking up portions of Drainira's duties that might pose security risks? That is, if she could turn golems of Master Rela's creation against her, what is to stop her from leaving traps in every golem on Sahova?" He didn't mean to strike terror into anyone, but it seemed a viable caution. For a long time, it seemed, the Sahovan wizards had relied on a golem most likely smarter than they were, and now they were dependent upon Animated caretakers who might easily become killer puppets. It was strange to be in the chambers of a dead woman, or a woman finally and utterly dead, but his survival depended upon what he was able to ferret out, so he quickly overcame his societal qualms and perused all that he was able. Who knew, he might pick up a clue or two about Animation that might come in handy later, though he wasn't sure how much stock he put in them after this little adventure, and it wasn't even over yet. "Watch out for golems, indeed," he said, not meaning to be a smart ass, but it seemed good advice for Farke as well as Hadrian. "Did Master Rela have any particular relationship with Drainira that would make her a weak link? Did she have any particular relationship with the Sahovan powers... Archwizard Mashaen, the Council, you? Or even those without particular authority but in a position important to the survival of the enclave?" He needed any and all information Farke would give him, and likely information he would be refused as well. With an ear open for Farke's contributions, he continued to pore over whatever he could find, looking for clues.

[Tarot]

Farke paced slowly across the room, attentive and calculating; the epitome of a Nuit. He examined most props without getting too close, let alone touching them. "That is an unsettling theory," the undead man admitted, "but logic dictates that it cannot be very likely. You see, Drainira was a Supervisor. The name means, "one that watches over", and it is an appropriate one. A Supervisor is all eyes and ears but has little in the way of hands. Oh, she could open doors and other nifty things like that, but she had no means of actually touching the golems. Which means she had others doing that for her." He hesitated a little over the last sentence, as if debating the wisdom in admitting the existence of traitors in front of an outsiders, but ultimately he had little to lose in the matter. "I do not know exactly how she turned them to her cause - maybe some divine power, or maybe she just manipulated the weakest minds - but those wizards did all the dirty work on her behalf. On the other hand, you must consider that Drainira ran a considerable risk by keeping loyalists around. If even one of them were to be caught in the act, then she might have lost everything she sought to obtain. That's why it took her five hundred years to bring her breakout to fruition; she was very cautious about it. And that is also why she would have kept her traces to a minimum. Every hacked golem was a point of failure in her plans. It is one thing to tamper with a dock golem that we Sahovans will never see again. Sabotaging all Citadel golems is another thing entirely." The room was dusty. Rela did not bother to clean it as often as she cleaned her bodies. All in all, it gave off very little in the way of personality. Hadrian suspected the same could be said for most Nuit abodes down here. "No, no special relationships I can think of. Just a hard worker, not into politics at all. I did not know her that well, to tell you the truth." Hadrian noticed one of the books on the shelves stood out ever so slightly, as if it had been perused recently. There did not seem to be traps around. If the youth decided to take a look, he would discover Rela's journal. The entries were penned in an ugly, dissonant style that suited the Nuit's unsympathetic personality to perfection. Winter 39 - Qiao scolded me again. Oh, not in person, no. I'm not important enough. He had this smartass letter delivered to me, bitching about glitches in two of the newest golems. Bet he didn't even take a look at the petching golems, just acted on some shyke Aelobius or Takk told him. Winter 75 - Iulyss is dead. Tortured and killed on charges of treason. Bullshyke, all of it. It all went downhill when that damn Isur started torturing our own. Qiao being the bastard he is, I can understand… but why is Mashaen letting the Isur bitch do as she pleases? Spring 12 - More complaints. Gods, if the joints are noisy THEN PUT SOME OIL. It's not the petching Animator's fault! Again, talks of replacing me with that Lessarre chap. He's not half as skilled as me and acts all superior around me. Spring 65 - Jilitse, the Animator Apprentice, has left Sahova with half the classified books in tow. Guess who's fault it is the golems didn't stop her at the docks? Spring 89 - I wonder who changed Drainira's killphrase. The thought suddenly came to me the other night. The killphrase was spoken that day, but she just pretended to go offline. I thought only Mashaen himself would know his way around a Supervisor, but someone else must have done it… I think. I wonder if I could do that, too. Summer 6 - All is calm again in Sahova. Almost too calm. I am feeling restless. That was the last entry in the journal. Fark craned his head, reading over Hadrian's shoulder, and saying nothing.

[Hadrian]

Farke's rebuttal didn't faze Hadrian. Of course a Nuit, especially one as important as this one appeared to be, would know Drainira, golems, and Sahovan politics better than a newly graduated, fresh faced enchanter from Syliras by way of Zeltiva. All the same, he wasn't sure his logic was flawed. Perhaps it was not the most probable explanation to a Nuit, but if Drainira knew the Nuit as well as she must, then she had to be attempting to remain several steps ahead of them or on a different path completely. "Well, likely you are right, but it would behoove you to keep what I said in mind. I'm not the one she has been supervising all this time..." When he found Master Rela's journal, he dove right in without a qualm for the dead Nuit's privacy. They were, after all, investigating crime and treason, and his life was on the line now too. He read quickly, several new questions coming to mind as he did so. When he got to the end and noticed Master Farke reading over his shoulder, he raised a curious eyebrow. "I don't know much about Animation beyond the basic theory," he said slowly, "but if a centuries old Supervisor isn't killed by her killphrase, then of what else might she be capable? Projection? Translocating her consciousness into a golem? A corpse?" He sighed, wondering if he was going to die after all. "I don't know all these names. Could you please tell me more about Lector Qiao..." He started tapping them to keep track of each one. "Aelobius, Takk, Iulyss, the Isur, Jilitse?" Shaking his head. "This place is like Sagallius' wet dream."

[Tarot]

"A very wise suggestion," Farke nodded slowly, "indeed, I still berate myself for not seeing through her plot. It certainly was a lesson in humility for some of us. Drainira was the epitome of Animation, the all-time greatest breakthrough. We paid for our arrogance dearly. It is something never to be forgotten, Hadrian Helius. I am only telling you so that you can treasure our mistake as a wizard yourself. And there are still traitors walking in our midst. Something not to be forgotten, either." Farke showed Hadrian his left hand. He pulled on his index finger with his other hand, and the flesh came off like a glove would. What remained of the finger was tendon and bone, but the latter had been madly sharpened throughout its length, making it razor-like. Farke's own body was customized - turned into a human weapon. He put the hood of flesh back on the finger, straightening it and flexing the finger to make it fit once more. On a closer inspection, all his ten fingers seemed to be attached the same way. "I can't tell you everything. You are smart enough to figure out why. Lector Qiao is, officially, the Archwizard's right hand man. Following Drainira's incident he has been de facto commanding Sahova as the head of a Council of Five, of which I am a member. You will understand that Mashaen created Drainira. His authority got stained when she betrayed." Farke paced slowly across the room, pondering. "Aelobius and Takk are members of the Council, as well. Aelobius is primarily a Voider, Takk a Summoner. Iulyss is a fellow Animator who worked with Rela and was heavily suspected of working for Drainira. He was eventually terminated but didn't provide any useful information before death. The Isur… Ialari Pythone of Clan Pitrius. She did Sahova a favor when Drainira escaped. We are letting her use our facilities, and she has a penchant for torture. Jilitse was an apprentice Animator, one of Mashaen's loyalists. Obsessively dedicated to him, if I may say." Farke folded his arms across his chest. "A killphrase does not necessarily 'kill' a golem, by the way. Drainira had several killphrases for various degrees of deactivation. We can only assume they have all been modified or disabled. It is traitorous to suspect that Mashaen might have done it, but that means we have a powerful Animator around, possibly one who has downplayed their skill all along. What are your thoughts as an outsider?"

[Hadrian]

Hadrian would certainly keep the thought in the forefront of his mind, that even the mighty wizards of Sahova could fail utterly when it counted the most. Fresh-faced and green, Hadrian would have to continue to foster a sense of humility or the gods might cast him down for hubris. What the display of hidden talons was supposed to mean, the young enchanter could only guess. Perhaps a threat, perhaps a sign. He let Master Farke's information trickle through the sieve of his mind, waiting for connections to appear. Qiao was in charge with the legendary Mashaen in disgrace for his creation's defection, yet it was still considered treason to suspect him of any degree of complicity. Master Rela presumed enmity from Masters Aelobius and Takk. Could they have been responsible in some part for her death or was that a clever, misleading assumption planted by Drainira or her agents? A Voider and a Summoner, a powerful pairing regardless of their political clout. A 'close', so far as Nuit relations went, colleague of Rela suspected to be in cahoots with the ex-Supervisor. But who suspected him? He was dead as she now, apparently, so no questions could be asked save by a Dreamwalker. "Nysel, save me," he whispered into the tumult of his brain. It would have been so easy if he could roam the chavena searching for information. He added a silent prayer to Eyris as well, who prized innovative thought. A sadistic Isur. An apprentice loyal to Mashaen, though who could know the heart of a person truly? Blue eyes intent on Master Farke, Hadrian nodded at the instruction in the intricacies of Animation killwords. He would keep it in his pocket should he ever learn the discipline. "First," he said, remembering the etiquette with which his mother had raised him, "I apologize if I have not behaved toward you with the respect due a member of the Council of Five. I do not know your customs, but any error on my part was an error of ignorance rather than malice. "Second," he continued, looking over Rela's journal once more before returning it to its place. He hadn't seen any useful notes scribbled in there, and he would not be allowed to leave with it, he was sure. Larceny wasn't really his thing. "While I mean no disrespect to Archwizard Mashaen, it seems imprudent to rule out his involvement entirely. Whether it was knowingly done, or with pernicious intent, his creation is terrorizing your people. I don't mean to implicate him, but merely point out that, as an outsider, it seems premature rule out anyone. "Because at this point, you are positing the existence of a shadowy, unknown Animator of great power, which isn't impossible, or necessarily even improbable, but I have not seen any evidence to rule anything out at this point. Master Rela seemed surprised by Drainira's trap, but I did not know her well enough, nor the situation here, to intuit any possible guilt on her part. She could have been a collaborator that Drainira took care of before the Council could extract sensitive information." He sighed, rubbing at his hair, finding himself teetering dangerously close to exhaustion after the day's excitement and the impossibly large and complex mental puzzle before him. "Is there any other pertinent information you can offer me?" he asked.