“I've traced it Thomas. The magic from that item we found stolen. It was difficult, but our priests and a few scholars managed it.” Commander Volkstead said to Thomas as he entered the command tent.

The Commander was standing at the table with a map covered in new markings laid out before him.

“Which item?” Thomas asked while peering at the map.

It was a map of the area, the massive jagged horn of mountain and coastline on the eastern edge of Drudesha. It had no formal name that Istania would accept, but this was a traders map of some kind. It named the place the Horn of Istania, and featured the Old Oak and Dentennek as major sites. Set on the table with the larger map were town maps, some of them just village sketches done up by a scribe or two, but marks were laid out there by the same hand. Thomas had enough perception to tell at the glance that the notes made upon them were the same.

Commander Volkstead was a handsome man, with a rather large mustache as a notable feature. He wore it well, and kept it trim though it was plenty bushy. Many of his expressions made great use of the feature, and the man was at his best when playing chess or telling old stories. It had been a while since Thomas's interactions with the man had been so jovial. Now he almost always wore a frown, and at least one fist was held tight, a sure sign that the man was upset.

Thomas knew it was the loss of his niece that upset him. The girl had been like a daughter to him, being trained by and cared for by her uncle as much as by her parents as she had been. Thomas could remember a few interactions with Clarissa and had always found her to be a bright and considerate person. He had liked her, and always looked forward to seeing how she had advanced.

“The Uplifting Jade Mortar and Pestle of Greater Remedies that was stolen from the elven couple. It was a dungeon find, almost entirely unique, and passed down through their family. It would have been easy enough to track had he just tried to fence it, but your thief and possibly your killer have been in the same places and using the thing.”

That was good to hear he came up with something after following up after the sleeping spell had turned up nothing. Someone had worked other strange magic in the area and it had mixed up Thomas's senses. Fae magic was something only someone gifted and dedicated to the craft like Lyrica could cut through. But this still wasn't what Thomas had wanted to hear. He feared what Ana would think with her being all but certain that this 'Isaac' was really just Ivan doing what he could with a small party of adventurers. -And worryingly enough this Isaac's appearance and the end of the murders seemed to have happened at around the same time.

There were all manner of rumors about and it was a nightmare sorting through the information, but Thomas and Commander Volkstead both had perception abilities that helped them deal with people and misinformation. They would get to the bottom of this, and from the look of the map on the table they were fairly certain where they had to go.

Steven began walking Thomas through his conclusions, linking the thief, and the healer Isaac together in a trial of deeds like threads into a multi-color pattern. There were some little twists and turns they couldn't see, but they were fairly certain now that the Thief was at least in Isaac's party, and from the sounds of it Isaac was also leveling the rogue job as well. Though no one had seen him use the reported magical item, or anyone in his supposed party that was out in the open.

Its effects weren't traced in the usual ways either, rain, and the passing dawn and dusk disturbing magic as it did. But it could be shown in evidence of the healing done by the otherwise simple remedies Isaac should have been to produce. He was using the item. Steven had been open with his soldiers about collecting any information on local adventurers, putting a positive light on things by stating his intents to hire such useful people for rebuilding and trust efforts. All things Thomas himself wanted to put into order, but he had also been sorting the information looking for the killer, and this thief, and dealing with politics.

His dark eyes flashed as he stared at Thomas, and awaited his judgment on the facts laid out before him.

Thomas had been keeping his distance, waiting for Ivan to come to him, and sticking with Ana's plan to speak with him privately. First to see what was going on, and to see if he was alright. Ana had warned Thomas that Ivan was a hothead. He would get upset, or would already be upset with them still being on the side of the Lord of Light. She warned it might even be a struggle to get him to forgive them for remaining aligned with the God in any way.

Knowing just that and seeing these facts made the pit of ice that had been growing in Thomas’s belly drop a few degrees and expand into something of a frozen ball of lead.

Thomas knew she was likely right about Isaac being Ivan, but the Commander of his forces was staring him in the face with a plan of action laid ready on the table.

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“What do you suggest we do then Steven?” Thomas asked, his voice formal, but the use of the first name toning it down.

“Arrest the suspicious party, have them speak with you in a secure location, and you can determine the facts. I have utter confidence that your hero skills will find the truth, and lay it bare for us to see. Once we know that we can act appropriately, return stolen items, and punish those who have committed crimes against the Forces of Light and the people of the realm.”

“A secure location?” Thomas asked, running a hand over his face.

“Is the camp clear of prisoners yet, and have the other soldiers all moved on yet?” Thomas asked.

Volkstead's shoulders set as he was about to answer when Thomas's extremely sensitive aura picked up on an arrival to the command tent outside of Dentennek. Thomas closed his eyes, knowing that his own actions had caused this to occur, but he had seen no other way out.

“So...I've been countermanded.” Thomas said.

Steven nodded, and turned his eyes back to the map.

“The Lord Daybreak's people formed an injunction, and have been petitioning orders, all things they are allowed to do while still following orders. If doing so slowly, but orders have come down from Daybreak not to leave, and word is that he's come to give you guidance.” Volkstead said, his voice reserved.

Thomas gave him a considering look. He noted that Steven had turned away from him slightly, and the lack of eye contact they had this whole meeting. Thomas nodded, regretting that he would be mostly alone in this struggle again. Steven was likely more desperately caught up in the politics than Thomas was. He had his family to think about after all, and Thomas had never really had to worry about that.

Thomas sighed, and looked at Steven. Commander Volkstead was his friend and ally, and Thomas knew well enough of his personal stake in this. Volkstead had grounds to refuse the command given to him by Thomas well enough, but came as a friend, seeking first to aid in his niece's efforts, and then to find her. To turn away now and show favor to Ivan when circumstances so encircled he and his new group would be a betrayal. One or another Thomas would have to choose

.

In the end it was a simple decision, but that didn't make it easy. Volkstead was too valuable to have him lose faith in him now. Though Thomas hardly thought he would leave the command, upsetting the man would hardly help things. Thomas would see to questioning Ivan's group as soon as possible, and then he would deal with Daybreak and his plans. Hopefully being away wouldn't set the situation and the people's mood against the People of the Light too badly amid Lord Daybreak’s unpleasant presence, but ultimately as with Ivan's own situation there had already been missteps taken there.

In this case dividing the current factions even further, or having some kind of small inter army skirmish here would help little, and show a lack of discipline and unity of purpose that the people of light needed to show right now. Thomas ran his hands over his face. For all the situations for his lord to put him into this was one that could not have been made worse in any way Thomas could imagine. There was so much Thomas could have done if his Lord had just spoken with him first weeks ago.

No matter though. There was no changing the past.

“Were the adventurer's returned? I saw many civilians that were unjustly kept being let go, but did any of the adventurers get processed out yet?” Thomas asked.

Steven shook his head.

“I tried, but kept to your orders. Many of them are suspected of crimes, or likely involvement with black magic sects Istania had kept hidden. More are war criminals, caught or surrendered after the battle.” Steven explained.

“So they followed their orders, and let anyone go whose involvement could be considered minimal as I ordered at least...” Thomas sighed.

Even after executing Daybreak's son the King of Lights legion had still held to their previous orders. Even when the crimes of their master had been made public and decried as a violation of the Rule of another God. The soldiers acted as though the laws of other gods no longer mattered, and some even said that the Pantheon was broken. If only they understood what that meant, or what it could mean for all of them. The war in the south would be pointless, and the soldiers there would have to return immediately to start manning up for war. Every dungeon town would need to be evacuated. It would be a mess.

Silence descended on the tent.

“When we go...” Thomas began. “No one gets hurt. No one draws their weapons or uses magic. We take them, but we take them by hand. No one draws a blade.”

“You'll go with us then?”

Thomas nodded.

“I'll need your help with Daybreak if we hope to keep this region of the continent from going into open rebellion. Any more mass violence will push them over the edge. There's plenty who have and will surrender, but many more that have steeled themselves from the first bout of fighting.” Thomas said, his mind on the all but non-existent reports that detailed the battle at the capital.

Istania's death at Theadus's hands came almost immediately from most reports, but the problem had come from what came afterward. The capital had played host to a battle like none had ever seen, and Theadus, though he appeared whole and fine in his center of power on the western plains of Drudesha had been hurt, and driven out of these lands by force.

More mysterious than the missing reports were the missing people who had done this. What information they had indicated madness, magical overloads, and destructive attempts on Theadus's life. Thomas didn't know what to think of it. He just had to sort it out.

“Daybreak is going to want to call you out for his son’s death. He didn’t give half a spit about the lad, but he’ll make a show of it. He’ll come at you with pomp, try to make you understand how much more important and better he thinks himself and every noble than the common stock of man around here.” Volkstead commented, a bit of casual reproof and reminder in his words.

Thomas let out a sigh, and was nearly deafened by trumpet blasts outside. He rolled his eyes and looked up at his friend.

“I’ll be with you when I can get away from him then.” Thomas amended.

Volkstead nodded, his mustache twitching in a telltale pleased fashion, like he was about to put Thomas in check for the fourth time in a row.