Heart of Artifice: Part I--Engineered Enigma

[Patlin]

Anvuss, of course, is unmoved by Elizabeth's beauty. He is, however, made somewhat curious by her resemblance to the human female 'ideal.'

Her husband is reputed to be knowledgeable about constructs. Could he have built her somehow?

"Ms. Helen did not appear to have anything bad to say about you, madame. She did comment that Lucy loved you, and she seemed reluctant to discuss domestic matters, but she did not defame you in any way. Is it possible you or your husband might recognize this symbol?"

Anvuss shows them the reassembled makers mark.

 

[Rystil Arden]

*Elizabeth appears to be alive and a human as far as Anvuss can tell. This includes the fact that she looks as a human does, breathes as a human does, is given to fits of emotion as a human is, and seems to have been sweating slightly in her fretting and worry for Lucy and her haste to rush downstairs, as a human does. Certainly anyone who could create such a fabulously lifelike construct would have gained worldwide fame, so it seems pretty much impossible that she is a construct, though of course there are more intrusive tests Anvuss could try to be sure. Still, it is admittedly true that her appearance does seem to be taken directly out of some man's fantasies or a girl's daydreams about the perfect beauty she yearns to look like when she becomes a woman.*

"This...? Hmm, parts of it bear resemblance to Digory's mark and parts to mine, but this is the case for many of these symbols because they are all made up of similar runic glyphs. I've never seen this one before personally--you can ask Diggy when he comes down--I saw him packing up, and he's definitely rushing. If I go fix some lunch, he'll surely be down by then."

 

[Patlin]

Anvus reaches the conclusion that she is not a construct. Then a more probable idea comes to him.

She's a changeling. Maybe even a doppleganger, though that is substantially less likely. What easier way for a female changeling to ensure a life of wealth than by assuming this characature of form for a well funded male? Still, it probably requires a certain artistic flair to pull off, so perhaps not so easy after all.

Anvuss is glad he's come to this conclusion. It fits in logically with the other facts he knows, and that comforts him, even if it is quite possibly a false comfort. And at least she isn't a succubus....

"Does your husband have any rivals or associates that might have an interest of some kind in Lucy?"

 

[Rystil Arden]

"Interest in Lucy? No, I don't see any reason why," she replies, fretting slightly, perhaps at the thought of some crazed rival kidnapping the little girl.

 

[Patlin]

"There are of course numerous other possible explanations. Could Lucy be in posession of any of her fathers tools or other knowledge, such that she might attract a stray construct or possibly even attempt to construct one? Has Lucy ever struck you as a prodigy in one area or another?"

ooc: If one of us had succeeded at a will save, you'd have mentioned it, right?

 

[Rystil Arden]

(OOC: I'd mention it to the person who made the save, yes, but only if someone makes one, not if they fail. Why--thinking Illusions now? Technically, even if Elizabeth was shrouded in a veil of illusions, you haven't interacted with the illusion in such a way as to make a Will save yet. Also, a Changeling or Doppleganger doesn't use Illusions and allows no saves, not that I'm saying she is one, mind. You could always ask )

"She's interested in her daddy's work, and mine, but she's not really a prodigy, and she's only nine. She's a smart girl--when she's older, I'll bet she could start helping out and learning more, but at her age, there's no way she'd be able to even begin building a construct--she likes to draw though, so she could make a pretty sketch of one."

 

[Patlin]

"Is it possible that she might have come upon something such as Magic Pigments? If she is interested in your work and likes to draw... well, might she have had access to something of that sort?"

ooc: More concerned with Detect Thoughts than with illusions. I (admittedly not as Anvuss) have encountered a surprisingly large number of Dopplegangers in Sharn.

 

[Rystil Arden]

*Elizabeth pauses for a second in thought and then shakes her head.*

"That would've been really weird if true, but no, definitely not. Marvelous pigments specify that they create normal inanimate objects and specifically also cannot create creatures or magical items. Constructs are all three of these things. Also, if there were any precious or unusual materials, marvelous pigments won't make those either," Elizabeth answers, displaying nigh-encyclopedic knowledge of that particular magic item.

(OOC: Ahhh, dopplegangers. What a weird pick-up line in Sharn: "Are you a shapeshifter with a fine eye for aesthetics, or are you just naturally this beautiful" )

 

[Patlin]

"Yes, and we noted that at least a portion of the construct appears to have been made of mithril. However, our group never actually observed the construct in an animated state... and there might be more advanced versions of the pigments. However, I admit it is a longshot. I am still actively brainstorming possibilities."

 

[Rystil Arden]

"If such a form exists, I've never heard of it," Elizabeth conjectures, "But what is this about a construct? I haven't heard the whole story--can you explain it to me more than that note?"

(OOC: I knew when I typed that line that somebody was going to think of Marvelous Pigments, just like I knew given Elizabeth's description that someone would suspect an illusion spell or a shapechanger--I'm just good at guessing player theories I guess )