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<blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3467164" data-attributes="member: 35788"><p>The remainder of the day’s labor seemed to pass by slowly on account of anticipation of the coming meal. Fortunately, the underground nature of the cooking oven prevented the aromatic smell of the hickory smoked meat from tempting people’s minds and stomachs even further. There was little that could be smelled of the meat until after sun down when Ischarus dug the ground out from above the oven. The metal oven had grown as warm as the volcanic stones within the ground and required the handles to be wrapped in hide in order to lift the oven out from the ground. Once the oven was removed and the lid was opened, the smell of the smoke and hickory flooded the entire villa. It wasn’t long before hungry servants had gathered around and the meat was enjoyed.</p><p></p><p>Charis had carried in several melons from the market, and their orange pulpy flesh was particularly sweet in contrast to the more biting hickory and smoke flavor of the meat. She had taken to slicing the melons into quarters and removing the inner seeds while the meat was cooking underground. She had also purchased several long loaves of bread that she quickly sliced as Ischarus uncovered the underground oven. By the time she was needed to lift the oven out of the ground, the melons and the bread were set on a table and ready to be served buffet style.</p><p></p><p>The meal was quite satisfying for the servants of the villa after the long day’s labor. The meal was also satisfying to the adventurers as they celebrated their safe return and continuation of their quest to find the individual or organization that was responsible for the destruction at the villa. It was to this topic that the conversation between Iasho, Brandt, and the party turned once the food had been consumed.</p><p></p><p>A light breeze passed among the six as Brandt reintroduced the topic. <span style="color: Lime">“So, you left a message saying that you had news and I was to seek you out. Fortunately for me you asked me to come for dinner, too! But seeing as how dinner has now passed, tell me of the news. What have you managed to learn from Darkbringer – and how did you find it?”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion smiled, knowing that magic had a great deal to do with their discoveries. Magic was necessary for the travel to Quehalost; and magic had been necessary for the wizard in Eberdeen to discover the Phoenix command. <span style="color: Plum">“We were approached by a servant of a wizard who works within the wizard’s college in Eberdeen. He was a self-proclaimed master of information and indicated to us that if we exchanged services he would be willing to use his talents to help us out. He needed a group of people to collect some spell components, largely because I think that his time in the college has made him soft for adventuring. But in exchange for the collection of spell components, he gave us what we have come to call the Phoenix command.”</span></p><p></p><p>Brandt’s eyebrows wrinkled as Semeion spoke the cryptic name. <span style="color: Lime">“Phoenix, as in the bird?”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus nodded. <span style="color: LightBlue">“The one and the same as far as we can tell. Of course, that was part of why we asked you to come. We assumed that you would have more knowledge about these kinds of names than we would.”</span></p><p></p><p>Brandt chuckled at Ischarus’ compliment. <span style="color: Lime">“Certainly a wise precaution, especially when dealing with strange magicians and cryptic names. So what did this Phoenix command earn you all?”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema took over the telling of the story for a short while. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“Well, the wizard in Eberdeen informed us that while he could not discern Darkbringer’s true purpose or the ones who had sent her, he did tell us that he was able to discover a command word that would unlock some of her instruction. Hence, we learned about the purpose of the Phoenix command. The wizard in Eberdeen said that if we used that command in the presence of Darkbringer that she would divulge more private information.”</span></p><p></p><p>Iasho asked the next question well before Brandt found himself ready. <span style="color: Lime">“Well, what did the Phoenix command get from Darkbringer?”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion spoke quickly, realizing that this was really his story to tell. After all, it was Semeion who had actually been a part of the interrogation process. <span style="color: Plum">“To be honest, not much. At noon on any day we are to go to the statue of Lord Ironblood in the central square of Fingerdale. From there, we are to send out a magical or telepathic message for the Whetting One. Three days later we are supposed to show up at noon in a barn south of Fingerdale and meet the Whetting One. Apparently the Whetting One is the one with the next level of information that we need.”</span></p><p></p><p>Iasho chuckled at Semeion’s retelling of the instructions, but this time it was Brandt who beat Iasho to the response. <span style="color: Lime">“Well, that’s certainly interesting to say the least.”</span> He stroked his chin as he thought about the details given by Darkbringer. <span style="color: Lime">“It seems rather harmless, all in all.”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion looked to Brandt and held his glance for a moment before speaking. <span style="color: Plum">“Do you really think so? We’re not being set up to accomplish somebody else’s hidden agenda? I mean, those instruction just seem so odd.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema nodded in agreement. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“Yeah. This may sound silly, but the last thing that we’d want to do is to summon something from another realm into this world without knowing what we are doing.”</span></p><p></p><p>Brandt shook his head in disagreement. <span style="color: Lime">“Well, you need not worry about being the cause of summoning something into our world. The directions that you just told me wouldn’t be strong enough to pierce through any worldly barriers with any accuracy. The directions that you gave are simple. Something has to be watching or listening for such a general broadcast. That something would have to be here in this world already – and probably not all that far from the town square, too.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus relaxed and leaned backwards. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Well that certainly puts me at ease, knowing that we won’t be summoning some sort of other worldly creature. But what do you make of the Phoenix command? It seems a bit contrived to me.”</span></p><p></p><p>Brandt nodded in agreement. <span style="color: Lime">“Yeah, it certainly seems difficult to believe. It has been about a month since Darkbringer was first captured? Certainly there hasn’t been an agent monitoring the square in Fingerdale every noon since then. That would be an incredible waste of resources from the stance of the Ephistaemi.”</span></p><p></p><p>Iasho nodded in agreement. <span style="color: Lime">“I concur. Something about this doesn’t make sense. It is either a poorly conceived emergency plan or else there is much more about it than we can grasp from the details given to us by Darkbringer.”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis looked back to Brandt once Iasho finished speaking. <span style="color: Orange">“But, as far as you are aware the name ‘Whetting One’ is meaningless and without some kind of deeper meaning?”</span></p><p></p><p>Brandt nodded in assurance to Charis’ question. <span style="color: Lime">“As far as I know, that’s correct. I’ll happily do some research for you and let you know tomorrow. I’m assuming that you were planning on enacting the Phoenix command tomorrow at noon?”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus smiled briefly. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Unless you find reason otherwise, yes.”</span></p><p></p><p>Brandt continued to nod in agreement. <span style="color: Lime">“Good.”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion interjected a concluding thought as the conversation about the Phoenix command seemed to be winding down. <span style="color: Plum">“One more thing, Brandt. Once the Phoenix command is enacted, the name ‘Whetting One’ must not be spoken until noon on the third day in the barn south of Fingerdale. Apparently the mere mention of the name countermands the Phoenix command.”</span></p><p></p><p>Brandt turned and watched Semeion as he described this final instruction. His eyes narrowed slightly and a look of displeasure crossed his face. <span style="color: Lime">“That’s the first thing you’ve told me today that I really don’t like at all.”</span></p><p></p><p>[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]</p><p>The remainder of the day’s labor seemed to pass by slowly on account of anticipation of the coming meal. Fortunately, the underground nature of the cooking oven prevented the aromatic smell of the hickory smoked meat from tempting people’s minds and stomachs even further. There was little that could be smelled of the meat until after sun down when Ischarus dug the ground out from above the oven. The metal oven had grown as warm as the volcanic stones within the ground and required the handles to be wrapped in hide in order to lift the oven out from the ground. Once the oven was removed and the lid was opened, the smell of the smoke and hickory flooded the entire villa. It wasn’t long before hungry servants had gathered around and the meat was enjoyed.</p><p></p><p>Charis had carried in several melons from the market, and their orange pulpy flesh was particularly sweet in contrast to the more biting hickory and smoke flavor of the meat. She had taken to slicing the melons into quarters and removing the inner seeds while the meat was cooking underground. She had also purchased several long loaves of bread that she quickly sliced as Ischarus uncovered the underground oven. By the time she was needed to lift the oven out of the ground, the melons and the bread were set on a table and ready to be served buffet style.</p><p></p><p>The meal was quite satisfying for the servants of the villa after the long day’s labor. The meal was also satisfying to the adventurers as they celebrated their safe return and continuation of their quest to find the individual or organization that was responsible for the destruction at the villa. It was to this topic that the conversation between Iasho, Brandt, and the party turned once the food had been consumed.</p><p></p><p>A light breeze passed among the six as Brandt reintroduced the topic. “So, you left a message saying that you had news and I was to seek you out. Fortunately for me you asked me to come for dinner, too! But seeing as how dinner has now passed, tell me of the news. What have you managed to learn from Darkbringer – and how did you find it?”</p><p></p><p>Semeion smiled, knowing that magic had a great deal to do with their discoveries. Magic was necessary for the travel to Quehalost; and magic had been necessary for the wizard in Eberdeen to discover the Phoenix command. “We were approached by a servant of a wizard who works within the wizard’s college in Eberdeen. He was a self-proclaimed master of information and indicated to us that if we exchanged services he would be willing to use his talents to help us out. He needed a group of people to collect some spell components, largely because I think that his time in the college has made him soft for adventuring. But in exchange for the collection of spell components, he gave us what we have come to call the Phoenix command.”</p><p></p><p>Brandt’s eyebrows wrinkled as Semeion spoke the cryptic name. “Phoenix, as in the bird?”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus nodded. “The one and the same as far as we can tell. Of course, that was part of why we asked you to come. We assumed that you would have more knowledge about these kinds of names than we would.”</p><p></p><p>Brandt chuckled at Ischarus’ compliment. “Certainly a wise precaution, especially when dealing with strange magicians and cryptic names. So what did this Phoenix command earn you all?”</p><p></p><p>Rhema took over the telling of the story for a short while. “Well, the wizard in Eberdeen informed us that while he could not discern Darkbringer’s true purpose or the ones who had sent her, he did tell us that he was able to discover a command word that would unlock some of her instruction. Hence, we learned about the purpose of the Phoenix command. The wizard in Eberdeen said that if we used that command in the presence of Darkbringer that she would divulge more private information.”</p><p></p><p>Iasho asked the next question well before Brandt found himself ready. “Well, what did the Phoenix command get from Darkbringer?”</p><p></p><p>Semeion spoke quickly, realizing that this was really his story to tell. After all, it was Semeion who had actually been a part of the interrogation process. “To be honest, not much. At noon on any day we are to go to the statue of Lord Ironblood in the central square of Fingerdale. From there, we are to send out a magical or telepathic message for the Whetting One. Three days later we are supposed to show up at noon in a barn south of Fingerdale and meet the Whetting One. Apparently the Whetting One is the one with the next level of information that we need.”</p><p></p><p>Iasho chuckled at Semeion’s retelling of the instructions, but this time it was Brandt who beat Iasho to the response. “Well, that’s certainly interesting to say the least.” He stroked his chin as he thought about the details given by Darkbringer. “It seems rather harmless, all in all.”</p><p></p><p>Semeion looked to Brandt and held his glance for a moment before speaking. “Do you really think so? We’re not being set up to accomplish somebody else’s hidden agenda? I mean, those instruction just seem so odd.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema nodded in agreement. “Yeah. This may sound silly, but the last thing that we’d want to do is to summon something from another realm into this world without knowing what we are doing.”</p><p></p><p>Brandt shook his head in disagreement. “Well, you need not worry about being the cause of summoning something into our world. The directions that you just told me wouldn’t be strong enough to pierce through any worldly barriers with any accuracy. The directions that you gave are simple. Something has to be watching or listening for such a general broadcast. That something would have to be here in this world already – and probably not all that far from the town square, too.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus relaxed and leaned backwards. “Well that certainly puts me at ease, knowing that we won’t be summoning some sort of other worldly creature. But what do you make of the Phoenix command? It seems a bit contrived to me.”</p><p></p><p>Brandt nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it certainly seems difficult to believe. It has been about a month since Darkbringer was first captured? Certainly there hasn’t been an agent monitoring the square in Fingerdale every noon since then. That would be an incredible waste of resources from the stance of the Ephistaemi.”</p><p></p><p>Iasho nodded in agreement. “I concur. Something about this doesn’t make sense. It is either a poorly conceived emergency plan or else there is much more about it than we can grasp from the details given to us by Darkbringer.”</p><p></p><p>Charis looked back to Brandt once Iasho finished speaking. “But, as far as you are aware the name ‘Whetting One’ is meaningless and without some kind of deeper meaning?”</p><p></p><p>Brandt nodded in assurance to Charis’ question. “As far as I know, that’s correct. I’ll happily do some research for you and let you know tomorrow. I’m assuming that you were planning on enacting the Phoenix command tomorrow at noon?”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus smiled briefly. “Unless you find reason otherwise, yes.”</p><p></p><p>Brandt continued to nod in agreement. “Good.”</p><p></p><p>Semeion interjected a concluding thought as the conversation about the Phoenix command seemed to be winding down. “One more thing, Brandt. Once the Phoenix command is enacted, the name ‘Whetting One’ must not be spoken until noon on the third day in the barn south of Fingerdale. Apparently the mere mention of the name countermands the Phoenix command.”</p><p></p><p>Brandt turned and watched Semeion as he described this final instruction. His eyes narrowed slightly and a look of displeasure crossed his face. “That’s the first thing you’ve told me today that I really don’t like at all.”</p><p>[/Sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nonlethal Force, post: 3467164, member: 35788"] The remainder of the day’s labor seemed to pass by slowly on account of anticipation of the coming meal. Fortunately, the underground nature of the cooking oven prevented the aromatic smell of the hickory smoked meat from tempting people’s minds and stomachs even further. There was little that could be smelled of the meat until after sun down when Ischarus dug the ground out from above the oven. The metal oven had grown as warm as the volcanic stones within the ground and required the handles to be wrapped in hide in order to lift the oven out from the ground. Once the oven was removed and the lid was opened, the smell of the smoke and hickory flooded the entire villa. It wasn’t long before hungry servants had gathered around and the meat was enjoyed. Charis had carried in several melons from the market, and their orange pulpy flesh was particularly sweet in contrast to the more biting hickory and smoke flavor of the meat. She had taken to slicing the melons into quarters and removing the inner seeds while the meat was cooking underground. She had also purchased several long loaves of bread that she quickly sliced as Ischarus uncovered the underground oven. By the time she was needed to lift the oven out of the ground, the melons and the bread were set on a table and ready to be served buffet style. The meal was quite satisfying for the servants of the villa after the long day’s labor. The meal was also satisfying to the adventurers as they celebrated their safe return and continuation of their quest to find the individual or organization that was responsible for the destruction at the villa. It was to this topic that the conversation between Iasho, Brandt, and the party turned once the food had been consumed. A light breeze passed among the six as Brandt reintroduced the topic. [Color=Lime]“So, you left a message saying that you had news and I was to seek you out. Fortunately for me you asked me to come for dinner, too! But seeing as how dinner has now passed, tell me of the news. What have you managed to learn from Darkbringer – and how did you find it?”[/Color] Semeion smiled, knowing that magic had a great deal to do with their discoveries. Magic was necessary for the travel to Quehalost; and magic had been necessary for the wizard in Eberdeen to discover the Phoenix command. [Color=Plum]“We were approached by a servant of a wizard who works within the wizard’s college in Eberdeen. He was a self-proclaimed master of information and indicated to us that if we exchanged services he would be willing to use his talents to help us out. He needed a group of people to collect some spell components, largely because I think that his time in the college has made him soft for adventuring. But in exchange for the collection of spell components, he gave us what we have come to call the Phoenix command.”[/Color] Brandt’s eyebrows wrinkled as Semeion spoke the cryptic name. [Color=Lime]“Phoenix, as in the bird?”[/Color] Ischarus nodded. [Color=LightBlue]“The one and the same as far as we can tell. Of course, that was part of why we asked you to come. We assumed that you would have more knowledge about these kinds of names than we would.”[/Color] Brandt chuckled at Ischarus’ compliment. [Color=Lime]“Certainly a wise precaution, especially when dealing with strange magicians and cryptic names. So what did this Phoenix command earn you all?”[/Color] Rhema took over the telling of the story for a short while. [Color=PaleGreen]“Well, the wizard in Eberdeen informed us that while he could not discern Darkbringer’s true purpose or the ones who had sent her, he did tell us that he was able to discover a command word that would unlock some of her instruction. Hence, we learned about the purpose of the Phoenix command. The wizard in Eberdeen said that if we used that command in the presence of Darkbringer that she would divulge more private information.”[/Color] Iasho asked the next question well before Brandt found himself ready. [Color=Lime]“Well, what did the Phoenix command get from Darkbringer?”[/Color] Semeion spoke quickly, realizing that this was really his story to tell. After all, it was Semeion who had actually been a part of the interrogation process. [Color=Plum]“To be honest, not much. At noon on any day we are to go to the statue of Lord Ironblood in the central square of Fingerdale. From there, we are to send out a magical or telepathic message for the Whetting One. Three days later we are supposed to show up at noon in a barn south of Fingerdale and meet the Whetting One. Apparently the Whetting One is the one with the next level of information that we need.”[/Color] Iasho chuckled at Semeion’s retelling of the instructions, but this time it was Brandt who beat Iasho to the response. [Color=Lime]“Well, that’s certainly interesting to say the least.”[/Color] He stroked his chin as he thought about the details given by Darkbringer. [Color=Lime]“It seems rather harmless, all in all.”[/Color] Semeion looked to Brandt and held his glance for a moment before speaking. [Color=Plum]“Do you really think so? We’re not being set up to accomplish somebody else’s hidden agenda? I mean, those instruction just seem so odd.”[/Color] Rhema nodded in agreement. [Color=PaleGreen]“Yeah. This may sound silly, but the last thing that we’d want to do is to summon something from another realm into this world without knowing what we are doing.”[/Color] Brandt shook his head in disagreement. [Color=Lime]“Well, you need not worry about being the cause of summoning something into our world. The directions that you just told me wouldn’t be strong enough to pierce through any worldly barriers with any accuracy. The directions that you gave are simple. Something has to be watching or listening for such a general broadcast. That something would have to be here in this world already – and probably not all that far from the town square, too.”[/Color] Ischarus relaxed and leaned backwards. [Color=LightBlue]“Well that certainly puts me at ease, knowing that we won’t be summoning some sort of other worldly creature. But what do you make of the Phoenix command? It seems a bit contrived to me.”[/Color] Brandt nodded in agreement. [Color=Lime]“Yeah, it certainly seems difficult to believe. It has been about a month since Darkbringer was first captured? Certainly there hasn’t been an agent monitoring the square in Fingerdale every noon since then. That would be an incredible waste of resources from the stance of the Ephistaemi.”[/Color] Iasho nodded in agreement. [Color=Lime]“I concur. Something about this doesn’t make sense. It is either a poorly conceived emergency plan or else there is much more about it than we can grasp from the details given to us by Darkbringer.”[/Color] Charis looked back to Brandt once Iasho finished speaking. [Color=Orange]“But, as far as you are aware the name ‘Whetting One’ is meaningless and without some kind of deeper meaning?”[/Color] Brandt nodded in assurance to Charis’ question. [Color=Lime]“As far as I know, that’s correct. I’ll happily do some research for you and let you know tomorrow. I’m assuming that you were planning on enacting the Phoenix command tomorrow at noon?”[/Color] Ischarus smiled briefly. [Color=LightBlue]“Unless you find reason otherwise, yes.”[/Color] Brandt continued to nod in agreement. [Color=Lime]“Good.”[/Color] Semeion interjected a concluding thought as the conversation about the Phoenix command seemed to be winding down. [Color=Plum]“One more thing, Brandt. Once the Phoenix command is enacted, the name ‘Whetting One’ must not be spoken until noon on the third day in the barn south of Fingerdale. Apparently the mere mention of the name countermands the Phoenix command.”[/Color] Brandt turned and watched Semeion as he described this final instruction. His eyes narrowed slightly and a look of displeasure crossed his face. [Color=Lime]“That’s the first thing you’ve told me today that I really don’t like at all.”[/Color] [Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section] The remainder of the day’s labor seemed to pass by slowly on account of anticipation of the coming meal. Fortunately, the underground nature of the cooking oven prevented the aromatic smell of the hickory smoked meat from tempting people’s minds and stomachs even further. There was little that could be smelled of the meat until after sun down when Ischarus dug the ground out from above the oven. The metal oven had grown as warm as the volcanic stones within the ground and required the handles to be wrapped in hide in order to lift the oven out from the ground. Once the oven was removed and the lid was opened, the smell of the smoke and hickory flooded the entire villa. It wasn’t long before hungry servants had gathered around and the meat was enjoyed. Charis had carried in several melons from the market, and their orange pulpy flesh was particularly sweet in contrast to the more biting hickory and smoke flavor of the meat. She had taken to slicing the melons into quarters and removing the inner seeds while the meat was cooking underground. She had also purchased several long loaves of bread that she quickly sliced as Ischarus uncovered the underground oven. By the time she was needed to lift the oven out of the ground, the melons and the bread were set on a table and ready to be served buffet style. The meal was quite satisfying for the servants of the villa after the long day’s labor. The meal was also satisfying to the adventurers as they celebrated their safe return and continuation of their quest to find the individual or organization that was responsible for the destruction at the villa. It was to this topic that the conversation between Iasho, Brandt, and the party turned once the food had been consumed. A light breeze passed among the six as Brandt reintroduced the topic. “So, you left a message saying that you had news and I was to seek you out. Fortunately for me you asked me to come for dinner, too! But seeing as how dinner has now passed, tell me of the news. What have you managed to learn from Darkbringer – and how did you find it?” Semeion smiled, knowing that magic had a great deal to do with their discoveries. Magic was necessary for the travel to Quehalost; and magic had been necessary for the wizard in Eberdeen to discover the Phoenix command. “We were approached by a servant of a wizard who works within the wizard’s college in Eberdeen. He was a self-proclaimed master of information and indicated to us that if we exchanged services he would be willing to use his talents to help us out. He needed a group of people to collect some spell components, largely because I think that his time in the college has made him soft for adventuring. But in exchange for the collection of spell components, he gave us what we have come to call the Phoenix command.” Brandt’s eyebrows wrinkled as Semeion spoke the cryptic name. “Phoenix, as in the bird?” Ischarus nodded. “The one and the same as far as we can tell. Of course, that was part of why we asked you to come. We assumed that you would have more knowledge about these kinds of names than we would.” Brandt chuckled at Ischarus’ compliment. “Certainly a wise precaution, especially when dealing with strange magicians and cryptic names. So what did this Phoenix command earn you all?” Rhema took over the telling of the story for a short while. “Well, the wizard in Eberdeen informed us that while he could not discern Darkbringer’s true purpose or the ones who had sent her, he did tell us that he was able to discover a command word that would unlock some of her instruction. Hence, we learned about the purpose of the Phoenix command. The wizard in Eberdeen said that if we used that command in the presence of Darkbringer that she would divulge more private information.” Iasho asked the next question well before Brandt found himself ready. “Well, what did the Phoenix command get from Darkbringer?” Semeion spoke quickly, realizing that this was really his story to tell. After all, it was Semeion who had actually been a part of the interrogation process. “To be honest, not much. At noon on any day we are to go to the statue of Lord Ironblood in the central square of Fingerdale. From there, we are to send out a magical or telepathic message for the Whetting One. Three days later we are supposed to show up at noon in a barn south of Fingerdale and meet the Whetting One. Apparently the Whetting One is the one with the next level of information that we need.” Iasho chuckled at Semeion’s retelling of the instructions, but this time it was Brandt who beat Iasho to the response. “Well, that’s certainly interesting to say the least.” He stroked his chin as he thought about the details given by Darkbringer. “It seems rather harmless, all in all.” Semeion looked to Brandt and held his glance for a moment before speaking. “Do you really think so? We’re not being set up to accomplish somebody else’s hidden agenda? I mean, those instruction just seem so odd.” Rhema nodded in agreement. “Yeah. This may sound silly, but the last thing that we’d want to do is to summon something from another realm into this world without knowing what we are doing.” Brandt shook his head in disagreement. “Well, you need not worry about being the cause of summoning something into our world. The directions that you just told me wouldn’t be strong enough to pierce through any worldly barriers with any accuracy. The directions that you gave are simple. Something has to be watching or listening for such a general broadcast. That something would have to be here in this world already – and probably not all that far from the town square, too.” Ischarus relaxed and leaned backwards. “Well that certainly puts me at ease, knowing that we won’t be summoning some sort of other worldly creature. But what do you make of the Phoenix command? It seems a bit contrived to me.” Brandt nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it certainly seems difficult to believe. It has been about a month since Darkbringer was first captured? Certainly there hasn’t been an agent monitoring the square in Fingerdale every noon since then. That would be an incredible waste of resources from the stance of the Ephistaemi.” Iasho nodded in agreement. “I concur. Something about this doesn’t make sense. It is either a poorly conceived emergency plan or else there is much more about it than we can grasp from the details given to us by Darkbringer.” Charis looked back to Brandt once Iasho finished speaking. “But, as far as you are aware the name ‘Whetting One’ is meaningless and without some kind of deeper meaning?” Brandt nodded in assurance to Charis’ question. “As far as I know, that’s correct. I’ll happily do some research for you and let you know tomorrow. I’m assuming that you were planning on enacting the Phoenix command tomorrow at noon?” Ischarus smiled briefly. “Unless you find reason otherwise, yes.” Brandt continued to nod in agreement. “Good.” Semeion interjected a concluding thought as the conversation about the Phoenix command seemed to be winding down. “One more thing, Brandt. Once the Phoenix command is enacted, the name ‘Whetting One’ must not be spoken until noon on the third day in the barn south of Fingerdale. Apparently the mere mention of the name countermands the Phoenix command.” Brandt turned and watched Semeion as he described this final instruction. His eyes narrowed slightly and a look of displeasure crossed his face. “That’s the first thing you’ve told me today that I really don’t like at all.” [/Sblock] [/QUOTE]
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