TBA: To The Ends of the Earth

Suggested Music: Final Fantasy X OST - Time of Judgement

The Violet Bier of Sorrows, Yu-Shan

Black Ice Shadow waited patiently, his imposing frame centered a few feet into the entrance corridor. The two younger Sidereals approaching him already knew the gravity of the issue they were being called to investigate, making the Saturn's countenance seem all the more severe. As the pair strode within earshot, the darkly clad Sidereal spoke.

"I doubt any of us has much of an appetite for pleasantries."

When the two came within a few feet of where he stood, Black Ice Shadow about-faced and began walking, just a few steps ahead of them as they strode down the grand corridor, and continued speaking.

"As you know, the Sidereal grand master Five Thunders Falcon was reported dead to the Division of Endings. He was in charge of training the Solar Exalt Baldur, in the hopes that Baldur might lead an army sufficient to defend Creation against the Legion Sanguine, were it ever unleashed from the Underworld, or perhaps even destroy it preemptively."

Still walking, he glared back at them briefly, as if daring one of them to showcase his ignorance with an inquiry on the nature of the threats he'd just described. Met with eager silence, he returned his gaze forward.

"Baldur had a history of being a loose cannon even before his Exaltation. Prior to this fiasco, that was merely a concern of the Gold Faction - it would reflect poorly on their cause to claim responsibility for a bloodthirsty barbarian. Now, an agent of the Bureau of Heaven is dead, and the matter is an official one."

The trio came to a stop in one of the colossal structure's many briefing rooms. With but a gesture, Black Ice Shadow beckoned two automaton orbs, which duly detached themselves from the pillars to which they were affixed and hovered in front of him with a gentle hum. With another gesture, the orbs oriented themselves diagonally, projecting two images into the air, side by side. The first image showcased the Lap and mountain range just southwest of it, while the second projected a representation of the Loom of Fate. Black Ice Shadow snapped his finger, and one of the threads in the Loom split in two with an almost-audible twang, like a broken guitar string.

"Five Thunders Falcon's thread was cut long before his scheduled end. It is entirely possible that Baldur has lost his mind and managed, in a stroke of luck, to kill him. This is our hope - Baldur's death is easily scheduled, if necessary, and the problem is self-contained. It is unfortunate, however, that darker forces seem to be at work. It is unlikely that Baldur would be able to slay Five Thunders Falcon unassisted, or even with the assistance of mortal troops. This suggests the involvement of another supernatural power, and hints at the possibility of subversion by the agents of the Lion. I shudder to think of Baldur with a master who encouraged his destructive tendencies."

He began pacing around the central discussion floor of the briefing room, drawing a circle underneath the floating orbs with his path.

"We also cannot rule out what is perhaps an even less auspicious possibility - that Five Thunders Falcon was the direct target of an Abyssal assassin. This would imply that the Deathlord knows far more than we thought, perhaps even being able to identify, track down, and destroy our key functionaries. If an internal source is hemorrhaging information, it must be dealt with immediately. I don't need to tell you how dangerous this mission is, with the possibility of something running amok in the region that was able to destroy a Maidens' chosen centuries my senior. Honestly, I don't know what Oversight was thinking, ordering the two of you down there..."

Black Ice Shadow stopped his pacing and raised a placating hand to the pair.

"I apologize. I spoke too soon; I merely wish for you to understand the possible depth of the situation. I must confess to being a bit behind on my internal detective work - Before we continue the briefing, why don't the two of you tell me about your training and previous experience?"

Dan 02:15, 7 January 2009 (EST)

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Bodhisattva of the Masked Starfall followed quietly behind his superior, arms folded neatly behind his back, through the familiar grand corridor, listening intently to the mission briefing. This was the kind of work he did for the Gold Faction, but this mission was without a doubt the most dangerous he’d been assigned to. Black Ice Shadow was right after all, Five Thunders Falcon was many years his senior, which meant that whoever had killed him would likely be able to make short work of the two younger Sidereals. He glanced to the fellow Sidereal who would be his companion on this trip as Black Ice Shadow apologized to them, looking back to their superior with a confident smile.

“I am Bodhisattva of the Masked Starfall, chosen of the Maiden of Endings.” He bowed slightly as he spoke; calm and confident tone matched his demeanor. “I serve the Division of Endings and am a member of The Convention of Fire and the Convention on Natural Disasters, I am a student of Brilliant Tsunami Masked by the Tower."

He wasn’t much of a story teller and he certainly didn’t embezzle anything to make himself sound more impressive, his response was short and business like. He doubted that it would make a great deal of difference, Black Ice Shadow wasn’t likely to take them off this mission if they told him they’d exalted yesterday. These was the kind of missions that no one wanted, the kind of mission where all you can do is run into the dark and hope you come out on the other side.

--FyreFly 00:13, 8 January 2009 (EST)

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Empyrean Dream Magistrate walked down the corridor next to Black Ice Shadow and Bodhisattva of the Masked Starfall, his hands tucked neatly in the opposite sleeves of his robes in front of him. He listened intently to the briefing. He agreed with his superior that the situation was indeed dire and unexpected, and the latter was likely the reason that these two were chosen to investigate and not someone more powerful. But perhaps that was not the only reason, Empyrean mused. Perhaps there is a rift of trust among the Gold Faction over such a staggering loss, or perhaps a political battle was playing out somewhere in Yu Shan. Regardless, this mission was assigned to him; and while this may look like a mission that no one else wanted, Empyrean relished the opportunity.

After Starfall spoke, Empyrean removed his top hat and introduced himself to Black Ice Shadow. "Empyrean Dream Magistrate, Chosen of Journeys. I too am a member of the Convention of Fire. I have traveled the south extensively, and have done much work to prevent Solars and the Wyld Hunt from crossing paths." That had been one of his priorities since exalting and going to work for the Gold Faction.

He could see the merits of his assignment to this mission: someone with extensive experience traveling in the south and protecting Solar exalts for the Gold Faction. He hoped that Starfall's skills would augment his own.

Kirkland 14:20, 8 January 2009 (EST)

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Black Ice Shadow listened intently before nodding to Empyrean Dream Magistrate in somber acknowledgment.

"Good. You may need to put those skills to use - It was all we could do to pull for the assignment of Gold Faction members to this case. The only investigative unit Chejop wanted to send on this mission was the Wyld Hunt. Formally, we've got enough leverage to clear the scene for now, under the auspices of a Divisional investigation into Five Thunders Falcon's death, to which Baldur may be a witness. That said, if I were you, I'd watch the horizon - the Wyld Hunt may creep over it at any moment. Even if the Bronze Faction backs down, the Wyld Hunt has its own investigators who may pick up on the raucous nevertheless. And that's if the Bronze Faction backs down."

He let the implications of his last statement play themselves out in a fleeting moment of silence. He resumed his pacing, habitually brushing aside his cape with his right hand and resting his palm on the bulbous end of a sheathed, Starmetal short daiklave. He gesticulated with his left hand as he continued speaking.

"Officially, the purpose of this mission is to ascertain the nature of Five Thunders Falcon's untimely exit from the Loom of Fate. There are several underlying implications, however, that my necessitate investigation beyond what might seem apparent. Regardless of how he was killed, Five Thunders Falcon's fate was not properly carried out, and Celestial censors have already determined that this was not due to negligence on our part. That means we couldn't have seen this coming - his death occurred outside of the Loom of Fate."

Black Ice Shadow paused again, removing his palm from the hilt of his dagger and stroking his cowled chin slightly.

"This suggests the possibility that he was killed in the Underworld, or on a shadowland, at night. Neither situation is favorable to us, though the presence of a significant shadowland would be far less auspicious. Over the course of your investigation, see to it that a thorough combing of the area is conducted, and report any findings that indicate the presence of a shadowland, or the possibility one may be forming. I noticed that neither of you are members of the Convention on Deathlords. If the depth of this situation is as I suspect it, I have a feeling that in short enough time, you will be."

He began pacing again, resuming a similar pose. With an idle twist of his left hand, the image of the mountains outside of the Lap rotated and focused, indicating with a blue, rectangular overlay a large region in the mountains.

"That in mind, there are a few things worth knowing before you travel there. Have either of you visited the Underworld?"

He stopped and looked in their direction, one brow slightly quirked.

Dan 03:03, 11 January 2009 (EST)