Alvec Snaptail: Sha-Laial

"You catch Tower on fire if you stare any harder," Bait said while waving his hands in front of Alvec. The goblin wasn't nearly worried enough. Their new acquaintance, the baby-faced "paladin in training" Hoc, had stormed into the house with no trouble. While it was impressive that he hadn't come out screaming like the rest of them, it deeply troubled Alvec to leave so much of this up to someone else... and worse, to have them going alone into a dangerous situation. He'd never forgive himself if something terrible happened to the boy. Sure, they were about the same age, but boy felt like the right word for him. "Bah, dis bore Bait. I go find secret cheese ingredients. Pee-egg. Alvec, where find Pee-birds?" The question was strange enough to jolt Alvec out of his thoughts for a second.

"Do you mean a peacock or a peahen?" He asked.

"Yeah, pee-birds."

Alvec opened his mouth, about to explain that they weren't that type of pee... but honestly, there was no harm in him mispronouncing it. "Look, I'm new to Sha-Laial as well. If I had to guess, someone on the city's eastern side might keep them as part of a collection." Alvec said, dismissing the question.

"Ok, bye." Bait said before he sprinted off towards the side gate. Alvec let out a sigh and focused his attention back on the tower. He thought he could hear voices from the uppermost level, but it was soft. Attempting to improvise a spell to amplify the sound was a good use of the minutes he seemed to be wasting just waiting for news. Illaria and Naya hadn't yet returned from the church. Mavec was around but preoccupied with working on stripping the two constructs. Leaving Alvec and Rem alone waiting on Hoc.

"What do you think, Rem? Want me to try to use abjuration to shield your mind? You try to dive on in and see how the kids doing?" Alvec said as he grabbed the good boy off his head and held him in front of him, locking eyes. The fox yipped lightly, and Alvec felt a sense of curiosity between them. "I thought if it's a human ghost, perhaps it will have trouble making you afraid. The fears of men and animals are distinct... or I guess I should say the fears of man are more varied and nuanced, but we share many basic fears. Anyway, want to test my theory?" A distinct shake of the head informed him of all he needed to know. Remington was not willing to participate in this experiment involving the nature of fear and animal intellect. "Fine, you want to start mousing then?" Rem yipped excitedly and dove off into the thick grass.

Alone once more, Alvec resumed his vigil on the tower door. Hoc had been gone a concerning amount of time. He had hoped the boy would have returned after just a cursory glance or at least stopped at each floor's windows to give him an update. After what felt like an eternity, Hoc and his baby face came back into view. He practically jogged down the stairs and out of the tower.

"You're never going to believe this," Hoc babbled. "It's Nath, the ghost is Nath, the former head of the Six Strengths! OH man, this is fantastic. Can you believe it? Barely anyone remembers these legends, and I just chatted with one for an hour!" Hoc's enthusiasm was near infectious, but Alvec bit it back. He needed to focus this conversation just a touch.

"That's awesome; what did he say about not letting anyone in here?" Alvec asked.

"OH, that's right," Hoc said, looking back at the door. "He says a wizard named Vato stole a funeral urn from the tower and that he refuses to let anyone enter his home until it's put back in its rightful place of honor. That's a tough break, huh. I can't imagine what sort of demented individual would steal a funeral urn."

"Do you think you could talk him into letting us stay here on the condition that we recover it?" Alvec asked.

"Sorry, friend, I tried that, but he didn't go for it," said Hoc. "'What good are mortal words when we need mortal actions to right the wrongs wrought by mortal hands.'" Or something like that. He wouldn't teach me any neat sword techniques either; he said that was reserved for members only."

"Any chance we can just... send him to his final resting place?" Alvec asked Hoc.

The paladin spent a moment in thought. "I mean, it's possible, but is it ethical? He's here; he feels like it's not his time yet and isn't hurting anyone. Is that really so bad?" Hoc asked.

"Far from me to deny the dead their respite, but we need a home, too," replied Alvec.

"Agreed," Hoc nodded. "He seems open to letting you take up lodging here if you can find and return his funeral urn."

"And the only hint we have is the name and that he was a wizard," said Alvec, tail swishing. "No, we have more information than that. We know that Nath died in the Anarchy, meaning that if he knew the wizard's name, they also had to have been around during the Anarchy. So Vato must be at least between 30 and 40 years old at minimum. If they were active here in Sha-Laial, we could probably find information on them at the Academy... there can't be that many wizards active in that time frame who match up with the correct age ranges."

"You really are a wizard, pulling that much info out of two little sentences," Hoc said, looking slightly amazed.

"It's nothing much, really," Alvec said, brushing the comment aside.

"Would you mind if I came back later to chat more with Nath?" Hoc asked. "It's like talking to a piece of living history! I've got other chores to do around the church; leaving my friend Sarbie to do all the work wouldn't be fair. I mean, she'd do it, but it's not right or fair to her, you hear." Alvec nodded along.

"Send along our thanks. She was about to go find you before you arrived." Alvec said just before whistling for Rem, who came bounding from the tall grass. "Well, see you soon, Hoc; I'll tell you whatever we learn at the Academy. Mavec, you coming, or should I go alone?"

"Sure, I've got a bunch of scrap to sell off to them. Let's go figure out who this Vato guy was," said Mavec

"Do you guys mind if I hang out here more?" Hoc asked.

"Sure, just be safe," said Alvec. "There could be more slithering oozes around. Neighborhood kids were calling it the big gulp." With that, the two wizards headed out for the Academy once more.

Bait: Sha-Laial

Alvec said that if there were any pee-birds, they'd be east of the river. Bait have to find pee-birds. The small goblin wove through the crowd of larger folk with ease. Bait goblin sneaky. When he didn't want to be seen, he had no problems disappearing into the streets. He quickly retraced his steps to the town building Alvec had dragged them to yesterday. The stone building is right near a large bridge over the river. Excellent point to start his search for Pee-bird.

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He scampered across the bridge. Cheese quest so important Bait not even a little tempted to take things he want from people's pockets, no bothering even looking in pockets. Other side of the river too clean. Bait no belong here. People ask questions if Bait stand out too much. He scanned the surrounding wide street with smooth white stone. There! A cart with what looked like building supplies. Bait have idea. Look like belong here, then find house with pee-bird. He wandered up to the cart and helped himself to a bundle of bricks he cradled in his arms as he waddled down the street. Bricks heavy, this dumb, but people dumb and likely ignore Bait if he carries brick with purpose. Bait, just goblin, Goblin bricklayer. That what they think, then bam, no more pee-bird eggs.

He wandered a good way up the road, passing by various fancy-looking estates before he stumbled across an enclosure full of pee-birds. His mouth began to salivate at the thought of how good this cheese would be. He set the bricks down in front of the house. The cocks were beautiful, with their enormous tails in green, blue, and purple. Now Bait just have to get in. The whole property was fenced with cast iron, and Pee-birds housed behind chicken wire, so dumb pee-bird no fly away. First fence, no problem. Bars wide, Bait small. The goblin turned sideways and practically oozed through the first fence. He quickly dropped to his stomach and inched his way forward. Bait need to be sneaky so that no one know he there. Green goblin blend in with nice lush grass. He could remove clothing, then be entirely green. Sound good, but if pee-birds get mean, Bait rather not be naked. No want to get pecked, not on pecker.

When he reached the chicken wire, it took him a moment to dig his way under it. He squeezed himself through the hole he'd created, leaving his gun behind him. Bait no want to shoot pee-birds. Once in the enclosure, he moved slowly, still heading towards what must have been a coop for the dumb pee-birds. He grabbed a small stone from the ground in case he need distract them while he was moving up as silently as he could. The birds failed to notice him, and as he made it into the coop, he found himself face to face with a mother pee-bird. He tossed the stone onto the floor nearby. The noise distracted the bird, and Bait snatched a single egg from another roost before retreating.

Getting back through without endangering his precious cargo was more difficult than getting in. He skirted the edge of the pee-bird enclosure till he could find the hole he had dug. He rolled the egg on through first and then slithered himself through. He left the egg on one side of the iron fence as he squeezed through, reaching back to grab the egg once he was safely on the road again. Now it was time to make his escape. Casually, be goblin casual. No one prove Bait no buy egg. No one give receipt for single egg. He cradled the egg in both hands as he headed straight for the exit of the town. This needed to go to Ben now. He couldn't just hold onto pee-bird egg forever. Needed to get it to Ben so he start teaching him the basics of cheese making.

Alvec and Mavec, the Academy

The pair found their way back to the Academy with ease. They debated the best method to determine who this Vato fellow was as they walked the city. The general consensus was to find a professor and just ask if they knew anything. Admissions may have records, but they'd likely be off-limits to non-academy individuals. They both knew all too well that all you had to do was get a professor talking to learn valuable information. Outside of their passion projects, there was nothing they enjoyed more than reminiscing.

"So, who do you think we should go see? Maybe the head of Artificy?" Mavec suggested. Alvec nodded in agreement.

"It would be good networking for you, and if they were around during the war, they likely might know who we're talking about."

The two swung by the admissions department, briefly asking for directions to the Artificy department. They were referred to a multistory building section with large open windows. No doubt, it is intended to help keep the location well-ventilated. Fabricating parts required some use of metallurgy, and forges were best maintained in well-ventilated areas. Several students listened intently as instructors put the theories they taught into practice. Mavec smoked a cigarette while Alvec spoke to someone behind a closed door in a small, cramped office.

"No, we don't have an appointment, but we would really like to speak with the head of the department," said Alvec. "Yes, I understand he's a very busy man; everyone here at the Academy is. No, we can't schedule an appointment; this is a bit of an emergency. I promise it won't take more than a few minutes."

Mavec let out a long puff of smoke. He hated the bureaucracy involved in these things. They were inefficient and honestly just a headache. A voice shocked him out of his inner grumblings.

"What do we have here? That's a fine-looking clockwork familiar. Are you a new student here?" The man, a dwarf with a salt and peppered beard, said while squatting down to take a better gander at Piccora.

"No, graduate, actually. We were hoping to speak with the head of the Artificy program." Mavec said.

"Well, congratulations, you're currently doing that; I'm Joram," said the dwarf, peering at Piccora. "These leg joints are exquisite; you usually don't see this level of craftsmanship applied this well to a precise small joint like this."

"I'd love to resume this conversation, but hold on one second." Mavec banged his fist on the door a few times. "Alvec, you can stop politely arguing with the secretary; I've found the head of the department." he turned his attention back to Joram, the head of artificy. "I'm Mavec."

"It seems my companions have already resolved the issue. Have a nice day, ma'am," Alvec said as he exited the room, closing the door behind him. "You have an outstanding secretary; I thought I'd have to bribe her just to get an audience."

"I assume you are also a graduate," the dwarf stated.

"Yes sir, from the Academy at Ot Najan, though I wasn't in the Artificy program. I studied abjuration."

"What brings you two here today?"

"We were hoping to find some information about a wizard who was active in this area around the Anarchy. Went by the name Vato."

"Now, that's a name I haven't heard in a very long time." He said, shaking his head. "I knew him alright. He was a diviner here in Sha-Laial. Considered to be one of the Eight Archwizards, to be honest. Not sure what you're hoping to find; no one has seen him since late in Ageneon's War."

"What do you mean by that?" Mavec asked.

"He disappeared. Stole a bunch of supplies from the Academy and vanished in the night. No one knows where he went or why, but no one has seen him for going on twenty years now." Alvec and Mavec exchanged a look of frustration. "Sorry, this isn't the information you were hoping for." He said.

"Anyone have any ideas where he may have gone?" Alvec asked.

"No, some tried to divine for him, but you try outclassing one of the heavyweights," Joram said with a shrug. "He was the archwizard of Divination, after all. No one ever got close to finding his trail. We all wrote off the reagents he stole and moved on with our lives. Might I ask why you boys are looking for him?"

"Towers haunted." Mavec supplied, and the dwarf met him with a quizzical look.

"We inherited a property owned by the Six Strengths, a ghost there isn't letting anyone in and claims that Vato stole a funeral urn from the tower. We'll only be allowed to live there if we return the urn." Alvec supplied.

"I'm sorry I can't be of much further help," said Joram. "He was acting strangely before he disappeared, but there really wasn't anything he did or said that would give me a clue as to where he went. Vato had servants here in the city, but I don't know if they've left since his disappearance."

"Thank you for this information; we'll find a way to put it to use," Mavec said, nodding. "I'm sure we can find more information now that we have these threads to pull at. Before this, we just had a name." The two wizards made their exit back out onto the streets.

"So you're a master diviner, top of your league, and you go rogue. Where would you go that people might not look for you?" Mavec asked.

"Throne land. If you're dropping lying low, you head somewhere where others aren't likely to trespass. No one wants to earn the ire of the state, so they'd likely go somewhere that wouldn't be overseen... Throne Land. If they knew which ones wouldn't be sold off and rehabilitated, it wouldn't be hard to figure out where it was best to go." Alvec mused.

"Ok, I'll grab Illaria, and we'll talk to the lawyers. Maybe they can get us a list of Throne Land properties in the surrounding area. We've no reason to believe that he fled far, simply that he fled well." Mavec said. The two continued back to the haunted tower.