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"Saoirse MacCaibe for one. She controls nearly half the trade in the city, and while I support a woman coming to power, frankly the woman is a vicious bitch and I can't stand her. She's particularly ruthless in matters of business, and I suspect the only reason she hasn't completely driven out her competitors is Bhenneit marshaling what he calls a 'trade union'. That and he's much more personable."

Maev took a sip of wine before continuing: "Regardless, Saoirse has enough financial might that she can put the squeeze on smaller houses outside of Bhenneit's union and that keeps them sufficiently out of the way in any really important matters of state. Naturally, her clan have been in bed with the Macartain's since the beginning and their interests align."

"Uisdean, on the other hand... commands something of a more forceful obedience. It's no secret his clan have been angling to usurp the throne since they lost the war. He's backed financially by the MacCaibe's, and his own clan has been playing the long game for quite some time. Marriages, back room dealing, the occasional 'accident' during a friendly duel or hunting trip; all tools he's more than happy to employ. He lacks dea-chlu, you'd call it 'honor' in the south, but here its something with more nuance. The point being, he has his dirty fingers in a lot of pies and its hard to tell which ones he left shit in."

"Dull isn't it?" Maev said taking a long drink from her glass of wine. "They're playing it safe. Politically that is. Half the clans rose to their meager levels of prominence in recent history, so they try to toe the line between supporting the Righ and arousing the ire of Uisdean and allies to his clan. Just because Thuinich isn't in open civil war doesn't mean your family can't be crushed in other ways. Financially, being turned into a social pariah, 'unfortunate accidents'... Though we haven't had one of those in quite a while."

Maev took a beat to pluck some sort of tasty morsel from a nearby plate and pop it into her mouth. After a moment of polite chewing she continued: "The fools don't realize that avoiding enemies, prevents them from making friends."

Your continued research proves less fruitful as time goes on, revealing nothing of note. Before long a gentle knock on the library door heralds the arrival of a maid coming to collect you for dinner.

Awaiting you in the lavish dining room is an impressive spread of sumptuous dishes as well as your host, who seems to be enjoying the fact she has company.

"Please, take a seat and enjoy. I hope my library proved useful?"

A few hours of browsing the shelves and reading what you find reveals the following:

[info]Thedrin:
With Rhenri's help you found a thin scholarly book regarding esoteric rituals and crystal spellcraft, emphasis on thin. The text was apparently a copy of a doctoral thesis from the mages academy in Albion, purchased by Mave presumably on a whim. What information it contained relevant to your search was limited by your own understanding of ritualistic spellcraft. None the less it confirmed that luminiferous aether, the potent energies from which spells are drawn, can be crystalized via a catalyst. These catalysts can range widely in form, and can include the life forces of creatures if the caster lacks a moral compass. In the end the thesis seems to have only lent credence to the claims of the lich that his energies were siphoned to create the crystals in the cave.[/info]

[info]Cecilia:
Considering your recent encounter with the cultists at the long forgotten shrine of the Crowfather, you decide to examine a thick leather bound tome entitled Aetherum: Mysteries of the Quintessence and the Elementalis Bestiae.
An examination of the text reveals it to be a treatise on the connection between aether and primal beasts. Despite being fairly technical and written over a century ago you are able to glean some useful information from its pages. Primal beasts, according to the tome, are for all intent and purpose sentient and sapient concentrations of pure aether. Their physical forms are coalesced by the collective unconscious of the people that believe in their existence. Simply put, they are pure magic given form by mass belief or worship. The theory is corroborated by your own experience and the words of the Crowfather, your act of "worship" by delivering his symbol to the altar gave him enough "power" to manifest properly before you. If a primal falls out of regular worship, they slowly lose their power and being until they return to the aether of which they are formed.
The treatise also posits that with sufficient aether channeled from an outside source, it should be theoretically possible to influence a primal beast in various ways. This idea though is purely academic, as primals are elusive and mercurial beings that rarely interact with mortals, thus it has never been tested. Not to mention that attempting to do so may incur the wrath of a being which exists outside the bounds of mortal power.[/info]

[info]Scathach:
Not being much of an academic, Scathach spent her time perusing the library for anything that seemed to "jump out at her" as she put it. In the end, she only managed to find a small book of genealogy regarding the nobles of Aite Aerd. The passage regarding the Canann clan was woefully scant, but there was a bit mentioning their allying with the Marr clan during the War of the Wolves.[/info]

"Just down this hall, follow me please." Mave said, gesturing to the hall in question before beginning down it. After passing a few doors she stopped at one on your right, and opened it into the library.

The room in question contained two small tables with accompanying chairs, a pair of high backed reading chairs that looked particularly comfortable, and several low book shelves with a few rows of books on each. Covering three of the four walls were floor to ceiling shelves rising only about a story in height, a small ladder on a rail ran along these shelves to provide ease of access to the higher rows of books. The fourth wall had a fireplace and above its mantle was a large, well rendered, oil painting of a buxom woman riding a horse completely nude. There was a passing similarity between the woman in the painting, and your host.

"You'll have to forgive me, the books are not organized in any particular manner. It's never been a concern for me you see. I'll send a maid to collect you when supper is ready. I hope you find something of use." Mave commented, somewhat apologetically before leaving you to your research.

[info]To search the library for information, you must do two things:
1. Declare a general subject or specific topic
2. Make an appropriate skill roll

Applicable skills from easiest to hardest are: Applicable knowledge, Perception, and Intelligence

Each round of searches takes about two hours, divided between finding a suitable book and scanning its contents for useful (or not so useful) information. Each member of the party may conduct their own search within each two hour time frame, or assist another to help find a more useful book. Dinner is in roughly four hours.
[/info]

"Indeed" Mave replied, with a slight smile. "And as duty binds so tightly, I imagine you will want to get started in the library as soon as possible. There will be time for the pleasure of company after, if you would all do me the honor of staying for dinner."

No more than an hour later, two couriers arrive at the apartment. Each bears an invitation from their respective master, Mave Ni Scurra and Eoin Mac Canann. Presumably, Bhenneit knows you'll be arriving at some point and will instruct his housekeepers to let you in.

Having settled on visiting the Scurra household first, you set off for the address listed on the invitation. A short walk later you find yourselves outside a sizable manse with a manicured garden in front. Presenting the small card you received to the guard gains you passage and once past the garden and through the front door you arrive in the manse's foyer.

"There you are... I was hoping you'd come by soon. You made the right choice, Eoin is a bore." Mave says descending a sweeping staircase and eyeing your group lasciviously.

"But of course, anything to aid the heroes of Telan." A familiar voice rings out over the mumbling of the courtiers, turning you see the smiling face of Bhenneit MacMhata who helped you months ago when you first arrived at the city. "My considerable library is at your disposal."

"Aye, all right." A second voice replies, spurred on by Bhenneit's offer. The voice belongs to a courtier you've not had any direct dealing with, despite your stay in the capital during the Dark Time. "I'll send a courier to your apartments with an invitation."

"As will I." A third called out, this time a woman, past the years of youth but still quite comely. You recall her as Mave Ni Scurra from one of the parties you attended at the start of the year. You also recall she was particularly flirtatious and unmarried, a dangerous combination...

With no others offering the use of their libraries the court proceedings move on and eventually you make your exit back to the streets of the capital.

"Three leads, to start with. Where do you want to go first?" Scathach asks.

"Of course, and should you need anything to assist in your investigation do not hesitate to ask. I'll furnish you with a writ that will allow you to procure any supplies you may need from the guardhouse stores. What manner of creature was it do you believe?"

A few moments later a page appeared bearing a rolled parchment in a document tube bearing the royal seal, handing it to whomever was close enough to take it.

[info]Obtained Writ of Investigation
This royal decree gives the holder the ability to requisition supplies from various stockpiles around Aite Aerd and other settlements around Thuinich. Generally mundane and sundry goods, occasionally these supply stores will have more useful things stashed away. The writ is both temporary and limited, once your investigation is over it will no longer be usable. [/info]

The righ's countenance darkened immediately, his right hand clenching into a tight fist on the arm of his throne.

"Bastards! Nearly the entire village slaughtered!? You say the cultists were creating more of those crystals there? How? To what purpose were so many lives lost!?"

He turned to the nearest guard. "Send a runner to the west garrison, I want a battalion out to Baile Fada to investigate further... and to honor the dead."

The guard left the chamber with a salute, and the righ returned his attention to your group. The murmurs of the gallery were animated, but low enough you couldn't distinguish any individual conversations. "Give me every detail, starting with how these cultists were producing more crystals..."

Arriving at the keep a short walk later, you check in with the guard who leads you down the now familiar corridors to the audience chamber. After a brief wait at the doors, you are announced.

As usual, the gallery and lower level of the audience chamber has its fair share of high society types and Righ Marr is seated on his throne.

"The champions return! What news of Baille Fada?"

"If that seems like the best way to do it, alright. Should we go report then?"

"What uhh... do you want to be in it for ol' Roxy...?" Spira asked, out of her depth and quickly growing annoyed with having to carry on conversation.

"Alright. And who are we planning to convince first?"

Scathach narrowed her eyes at the suggestion that she was incapable of understanding the obnoxious intricacies of court intrigue, but let the comment slide.

"Ok then. To that end, what do you suggest we do?"