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This message was last updated by the GM at 00:12, Wed 20 May 2020.

Inspector,

I received your letter today as I was preparing a tincture and an amulet to send ahead of us just before we leave. I hope that they will aid you as we approach. The tincture is a spagyric of my own design that should invigorate your mind, and enhance your natural deductive gifts. I apologize that I could not send the items with this letter, but it will take three more days to prepare, and it seemed more urgent, given the situation, to respond to your inquiries immediately.

The amulet I am particularly proud of, and was made with the assistance of my associate Pandrosus Penelope. You are familiar with hagstones, as I gifted you one not long ago. I call this work “Troistone.”  I wanted to call it “The Troistone,” but Pandrosus  insisted that it was pretentious, and refused to help if I named it such. She also insisted that I advise you of that fact in this letter, which she will likely read despite my efforts to keep it private. She can be most disagreeable if she does not get her way (you should respect my privacy, Pandrosus! Stop reading this at once!).

But I digress: the amulet is a particularly unusual and powerful hagstone I have acquired. Thrice blessed by time and tides, it has three holes, and I have penetrated each with fresh oak root. Pandrosus will place a muse enchantment upon it once it has been purified by the sun, bathed in moonlight,  and then soaked in the macerated remains of offerings to the thrice peen god. Even without The Great Hippoplatypus blessing, it would be a very powerful amulet, indeed. But as luck would have it, Pandrosus` talent is for honoring gods, and since The Hippoplatypus obviously favors you, it is essentially a channel of inspiration from Him so long as it is in your possession. I am not certain it would be as potent in the possession of any other.  Incidentally, the artifact was also licked by Pandrosus` lioness, which she also insisted I tell you. She claims the beast is an avatar of The Goddess Cybele, and a lick grants the object her favor that gives you the ability to speak to animals. I am skeptical, as I have held the object and never once has the beast spoken to me. Pandrosus is very much the prankster, so it could be she is simply amused at the notion of us trying to speak to animals. But on the other hand, if the beast is as temperamental as her mistress, perhaps she has simply chosen not to speak to me as a point of defiance.

Again, I digress. As you are infinitely skilled in deduction, you no doubt have noted that when I speak of traveling to Alycone, I say “we” are coming. The individual skilled in the ritual of the Eikon I spoke of in previous correspondences is, of course, Ms. Pandrosus Penelope. She prefer that I mention her name to you, and that you make arrangements to compensate her, as well as ensure her name is known to the public as being key in assisting your organization in ending. These are her terms for employment.

I apologize for her in advance. She doesn’t understand that you are a friend in need, and she insists on compensation and meeting you in person even though I did not ask either of her. Please don’t misunderstand my tone. She can be difficult to work with, and she knows this, but she is a very loving and compassionate person. A very free spirit. I admit I love her, and she has admitted the same to me, but our energies are often opposing. To be blunt, we cannot tolerate one another for more than three months out of the year.

Needless to say, Ms. Penelope and her lioness, Sage, will be joining me in my travels. We leave in three days. She never thinks to ask, but please also notify the local authorities that there will be a lioness walking about, but that it is tame so long as it is not disturbed. It would create a very difficult situation for both of us if anyone were to attack the creature.

Again, I apologize and stress that I did not invite the woman to come with me, but I also cannot prevent it. If I were to refuse her to travel with me, she would respect that, but would still travel to Alycone on her own to position herself as both heroine and terror. That would likely cause you more stress than if I were there to temper her personality.  She revels in notoriety, and is unapologetic about it. As I said, we have very opposing energies, as I prefer to not be mentioned. Please feel free to credit her publically in my place if you are required to do so for any reason.

To address your questions: Ms. Penelope has advised me that it is not uncommon for multiple Eikons to be connected to a single entity, as most have many followers that enjoy the privilege. She has explained that the Eikon is merely one of many objects through which they work, but that some can at times be devoted to different aspects of the entity. When I explained your situation, and how two were made at the same time, her response was “Amateur hour.”

((OBSCURED TEXT START - The enclosed writing obscures briefly as if it has been washed out and ruined by natural water damage, but then returns to clarity only to the eyes of Troisseau. To all others it remains ruined and unreadable.))

I should tell you that I fear that, in addition to her intellectual interest in the eikons, as well as fame in your region, she may have ulterior motives to infiltrate and take over this cult. She adores worship and attention above all things and she has at least a century of forbidden or secret knowledge. If she reads this, she will try to prevent me from warning you. I know her well, and have taken precautions, but her pride is such that she will believe you will never read this text. Hopefully you do. But if you do, please do not mention it in future correspondences. We must only speak of it in person until she leaves.

I don’t know how you may be connected with the cult, if at all, but it may be a good idea to let her take it over if you wish the cult to be moderated. If you do not, then you will want to warm them of her. I’m confident that, while she will seek to be a friendly socialite with influence and power in Alycone, she is absolutely controlling, and will not allow foolish amateurs to make mistakes that could become public. This will likely keep them in check for some time, or destroy them outright if they are a rebellious sort. You may, however, have the occasional unexplained warlock or witch found floating in your beautiful lake. While she is a good friend to life and the light, she is not a stranger to death and the dark. She makes no definite alliances with any god, and is friend or enemy to all.

((OBSCURED TEXT END))

Again, please don’t mistake my tone. Ms. Penelope does more good in the world than anything. She is an asset. I cannot promise that the two of you will be on good terms, but I can say that she has vowed to me that she will help resolve your issue to the best of her ability, and that she has never broken a vow to me.

You will receive a parcel from me soon with the mentioned amulet and tincture. I am looking forward to cooking for you, and interested in you meeting my associate Ms. Pandrosus Penelope.

Kind regards,

TZ
This message was last updated by the player at 02:57, Wed 03 June 2020.

In reply to Terzo Zeni (msg # 2):

((This message is enclosed in the flaming astral balls indicating the content of this letter will dematerialize upon being read))

☄️
    To: Msr Zeni and Mme Penelope
    From: JKT; D-DOS; ciii

It has been fifteen days since I received the letter informing that you and Mme Penelope will be coming to Alcyone. Upon reading the great care and reverence applied to the Troistone, I became overcome with emotion. Pandrosus and yourself will be generously compensated for aid provided I can assure you. In regards to the additional requests of Mme Penelope, I must say her timing so beyond impeccable that I would consider it to be divine.

The eikon phenomenon at first was a welcome distraction to the people of Alycyone. It brought a mesmerizing curiosity and awe that brought the civil discord we had previously been encountering to a standstill. Citizens were obsessed with these creatures, and revered them. The large scale containment efforts were highly effective, but I my efforts to convince the leadership that this situation was untenable were unheard. I felt strongly that by the Wednesday that was one day after receiving your letter, the containment would be breached.

I was correct. The eikons behave in a rather predictable, sequential manner. In that regard, I felt like I was relatively able to prepare for what I thought was going to occur when the containment phase was disrupted. I waThe ress naive and/or arrogant in my thinking with regard to this. On this day, the entities seemed to become charged with blue magnetic pulses. They would charge toward each other as the are oft to do, but for a period of just under 24 hours, when charging into each other, a magnetism would throw and hurl them violently apart from each other. It appeared no different than two magnets of opposing sides pushing against one another. They slammed into a portside shanty village called Schweinsberg. Here, there was no contingency for the safe and orderly evacuation of people nor protective measures in place. The residents were most tragically caught off guard. Dozens of serious injuries were sustained. One 8 year old girl was killed under the weight of an eikon. Another elderly man, a retired dockworker, was injured in the panicked stampede of the people and layed helpless in the center of the square. He too was eventually crushed under an Eikon.

These were the citizens whom had fallen deeply in love with these creatures. Their village was absolutely decimated. The physical injuries and senseless loss brought pain, but that their newly adopted mascots had "turned" on them this way brought another level of pain to their grief.

When the magnetic effects diminished, Schweinsberg had been reduced to rubble dust and blood stains. The eikons resumed their normal patterns of behavior, this time headed out into the deeply wooded forests. Patrols on horseback kept track of these beings as the ripped and shredded the trees and flora in their paths. Their one main shared interest aside from fighting each other, is hunting and ravaging boars. This gave them many days to occupy themselves.

By the time they had returned to the open fields we had previously attempted to hold in place their activities, we had prepared another round of temporary containment, this time my team understood the gravity I was unable to persuade in them. My spiritual advisor, the esteemed Heironimus Thoth built a crane-like structure with large rotating lenses of glass. The eikons are extremely curious about light. This second phase of protecting our city and people has mostly held.

When I received you tincture and the Troistone, I had succumbed to a reality that this situation has been all consuming. I sleep perhaps 10 full ours a week, and I am afraid for the people, for Alcyone, and selfishly, for myself and the D-DOS. I immediately took 5 ml of Ferro Captionem. I immediately felt a mental clarity, and like I had been imbued with the strength and speed of a hundred men! I realize now that this was some combination of a placebo affect, secondary perhaps to the delirium of sleep deprivation. I felt as though I could pin Chorum, the lion-like Eikon, and speak to him directly through my mind. I was certain of this ability! Though I felt this was not a sound nor sane idea, I felt inspired nonetheless. Solution and action are two of my primary tenets. I sprinted nigh two miles to the sight of the eikons. I admit I ought to have paced myself as what I was about to do was going to require mass amounts of stamina and strength.

As I approached, I bellowed from deep within me. I threw at my sides a dozen spark bombs, 2 by two in order to gain the notice of the Eikons and perhaps stun them with the spectacle of light. In my final approach, I hurled a boar skin atop Chorum, and lept on his back. He began to buck and flail. I held onto whatever I could, but of course this was no easy task. Contussions and a concussion were sustained during the next five minutes. Gillybrwryn, the winged serpent-like beast was confused, and I feel as though he may have hurled into me at any moment. Chorum sprung off his front paws, and kicked up on his back legs and my skull and his met with substantial impact. The mental element of my impulsive action snapped on and in an instant or minds were aligned.

I wanted Chorum to know that I did not see him as "evil" or "bad". I saw him as something beautiful and powerful, but because of how he was made- he was in need of aide. I wanted to help. Chorum's pain is beyond what I believe any human can be able to sustain. Futility of existing was what it felt like. I feel sorrow from this now that I have been removed from him, but this was not even a third of what this poor creature has inside of his being. This ride I was on took more of an erotic feel, and I for a few moments felt more control over him as I pushed my body and mind into his. We became intensely bonded to one another, and I knew that very soon I would experience a significant loss. This could mean the destruction of the Eikon, of my own life, or perhaps of Alycone. I saw no other possibilities. I lost consciousness for a moment, and when I came to I was on my back looking directly into Chrorum's eyes. I should mention that during this time of my connection to Chroum, Gilly seemed to take on a state of contentment and virtue. She appeared comfortable in herself, surveying the damage with so much concern. Chorum heaved a roar that I believe was telepathic, imploring and commanding me to leave at once.

Alycone desperately needs you both. To Pandrosus, the comment that this is an "amatuer hour" debacle is one that is easy to arrive at. Almost too easy is my inclination. A less likely possibility has been surging through my mind that all but one of these practitioners were used as a cover for something more sinister. The pause in civil unrest has resumed at a rate in which I feel it will escalate beyond prior levels at any moment. Simultaneously our efforts to maintain this stalemate between two great destructive bodies needs to be held. It may just be that this is all happening according to plan. You, Pandrosus can be our heroine if this is what you desire. If you (and in the shadows Msr Zeni) can deliver on your end a final solution, I can hold you up and allow you to appear as the answer to the many underlying elements of our society that have been revealed. This never should have been able to happen. We are so enamored with the occult and of magic, but the 5 practitioners whom contributed to this had not even the basest of knowledge of how to wield such magic responsibly. My own department's ability to access knowledge and resources in such a situation has revealed fatal flaws as well. Terzo, this is where you may be of invaluable (and discreetly) contribute to something invaluable. The culture of Alcyone is exhaustingly complex. We are a first of its kind republic in her infancy, with centuries of monarchical rule and laws that still permeate and remain intact. If you wish to ascend here, I will be able to navigate this for you. I can tell by the way Terzo speaks of you that your magical prowess is preternatural. However, I can assure you the cultural competency required for someone from the outside to appear and claim so much power is something no amount of magic can account for. I fear this whole episode is designed as a dismantling of the fabric of our society in an attempt to grab power. The mighty Pandrosus Penelope can be a foil to this. I am called to give reports to the "Hall of Mirrors" this is a secret council which no such claim to power can be had without their approval. This very act of speaking of their existence is treason of the highest degree, and why this message will dematerialize upon being received. Were it not that I already feel relatively certain that my demise is possible if not imminent- I would not disclose this. There is even another tier to this that should I know, I would not even speak of.

I must part now as I have been coerced into resting an hour before midnight and my physician has a team that insists in my compliance here. Should I protest as I have tried, I am sedated. The Troistone is glorious. I dream of it. I have placed it at my altar and have given 15 minutes of ritual honoring daily. I have not held it in my hand and given my mental depths to it yet as I am fearful that I am unworthy.

Best,

JKT; D-DOS; ciii
                  ☄️
This message was last updated by the GM at 13:38, Fri 05 June 2020.

In reply to Inspector Troisseau (msg # 3):
((Two flaming astral balls materialize and between them you see an emerald sinescription tablet. If held by Pandrosus Penelope, this tablet appears as a promissory note outlining compensation for her services. Held by Terzo, the communication is as seen below))


☄️ Terzo, it is of no concern should Pandrosus know of whom I was raised by and whom she was in her life in this space. If she does not already know, she will learn of this. However, I implore you with more urgency than I have ever asked that she mustn’t know of what role she currently embodies. ☄️
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:43, Fri 05 June 2020.

((A folded piece of parchment is slipped beneath your door))

Inspector,

We arrived in Alycone early this morning. Pandrosus insisted that we room in the finest available suite at Hôtel de Goût Exquis. She took it upon herself to impress to the staff that she is an important personal guest of DDOS, and that she should be notified of visitors immediately should they call. I’m afraid she mentioned your name several times to several people. I hope it does not cause you any additional stress. I will try to impose upon her, as much as is possible, the wisdom of discretion in this situation.

Please visit at your earliest convenience.

Kind regards,

TZ
This message was last updated by the player at 13:46, Fri 05 June 2020.

In reply to Terzo Zeni (msg # 5):

Hands Pandrosus a nondescript wooden box with slide top lid. Handwritten note reads.

Pandrosus;

This box contains a tube that contains an ampullae of serum ☠️ fatal when injested- usually  within two minutes.
This task may fall to one other, but there will come a moment  (thrice grant us to fulfill our destinies) that Armand Denari Coup will be offered to  bite the ampullae and escape the scorched earth and rubble he (tragically to me it seems) so unwittingly but unequivocally brought into his beloved Alcyone.

This is a familiar gesture for a person in Alcyone who has betrayed his allegiance so grievously but for a time served Alcyone honorably. The option is to forgo trial and often summarily execution.

Only when the Eikon crisis has come to the final solution. Present the ampullae and state “For your passage into the central sun.”
Arman will almost certainly accept. This may be something you can disregard should my other assignee have presented this to him.

Simply mark “X” on the lid of this box and return to me if this is something you will not be willing to do.

This is custom but I am unable as an official to acknowledge this.

JKT

In reply to GM Slogworx (msg # 1):

From: Hayden Schroeder; DDOS cadet
To: Directorates of DDOS
CC: EU ; Team Two

Urgent report from the detainment facility. The 10th degree magi held in connection with the 19 degree Five was found this afternoon in with significant self inflicted wounds to his left eye. Using the metal pin of a DDOS Phrygian cap, Denis Bastos gouged his eyeball from it’s socket. He was in an elevated state of rage, screaming and howling that he (Paraphrased) Can never be held in oppression inverse of himself.  Myself and three guards restrained him and he was sedated by our physician.

He is in level 4 restraints in a bed of the medical containment room.