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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 3001480" data-attributes="member: 3448">Upon reaching the palace, they took the body, under Dame Brionna's direction, to a lead-lined room.  That would provide at least some protection against further farsensing.  Lord Alistair and Dame Brionna joined them to examine the body.Dame Brionna looked up after checking the body for injuries.  "He's dead, but there's no sign of physical injury.  Based on Stythus's description, whoever the farsensor was probably killed him telepathically."Alistair crouched down by the harlequin's head.  He dabbed at its pointed ear with some of the harlequin's clothes, rubbing off the white facepaint and revealing jet black skin beneath.  "As I thought.  Drow.  What's more interesting is the lightning bolt on his face.  That's a symbol of Algaroth, the Father of the Darkened Elves, and one of Morgrath's servitors.  Which tells us that this was a Morgrathian drow, but it suggests a little more than that-- most of the Noldar treat Algaroth more as a king than as a god.  This drow, and I should guess his master as well, probably belong to the minority that think of Algaroth as a deity.  At least now we know it's more fallen elves trying to start the riot.""That can't be good," Kit said.  "I bet the Eldar could help with this.  They might be able to trace back the psionic aura Stythus sensed.  It's still there, but fading."They dispatched a messenger to Lord Silverleaves, asking if he'd be willing to assist them.  After a few minutes, Lord Silverleaves and his grandmaster farsensor joined them.The elven psion knelt briefly next to the drow.  "Yes... the connection is still very clear.""He can't still perceive us, can he?" asked Dame Brionna in alarm."No.  The connection has been inactive since he killed this one.  But it's clear enough.  This one served one of the Noldar.  Quinliart Moriquendarim, unless I misread his signature."Lord Silverleaves tilted his head in thought.  "Strange.  Quinliart is the Controller of Region 6 of the Aragoni slavers.  I do not see why he would wish to disrupt your coronation.""Quinliart and my family have a history of conflict," replied Alistair.  "My father wounded him and killed one of his captains, and he killed my father and has tried to kill me.  But his main motivation would be political.  He wishes to shatter Canberry as a power, to eliminate one of your allies.""But that does not make sense, your grace.  Quinliart fears the skaven more than he fears any threat that Canberry could play.  He needs the Archduchy to remain as a buffer against further skaven expansion.""Nonetheless, he has already tried many ploys to prevent a smooth succession." Alistair held up one of the coins.  "I wonder... could he have been planning on using the coins to gain psionic access to the people who accepted them?   Command some sort of mass action?""No, your grace," replied the farsensor.  "A paragon Coercer might be able to do so, but he is at most a grandmaster.""A paragon?  I didn't even realize that there were levels of mastery beyond grandmaster.""No human has ever achieved more than grandmaster level, your grace, but some of the Eldar and the Noldar have.  But Quinliart is not among them.  He could perhaps use a coin to gain a link to individual people; he could certainly monitor his own agents, as you have seen.  But attempts to influence the city as a whole would be beyond him.""Lord Silverleaves," asked Kit, "We think he may be working with several other Noldar.  Do you know who they might be?""Two of Quinliart's younger female relations are quite devoted to him.  They are the most likely possibilities.""We believe he has another nineteen drow agents working on creating a riot," said Alistair.  "Lord Silverleaves, would you be willing to assist us in dealing with the remainder of his agents?  I should think that it would be an opportunity to easily strike a blow against their forces, and I don't think there's any danger of your aunt intervening to defend him.  Your farsensor can find them much more readily than we can.""Indeed not.  Perhaps...  How many escorts did my aunt bring down from her dreadnought?""Eight, your lordship.  All automata.""Then I may bring eight as well without giving offense.  If I rotate my entourage to include my farsensor, my archmage, my captain...  Yes, I think we will do this for you.  I will also play music during your procession.  That should go some way towards defusing the tension of the crowd.""Thank you, your lordship.  We are most grateful for the assistance of your legendary music.  Oh, we had one last question.  These drow are paying in Eldron coins; a previous operation used an Aufaugauthalar'im horde coin.  Is there any reason to worry that more than House Moriquendarim is involved?""I shouldn't think so, your grace.  Their hordes contain many ancient coins, and I shouldn't doubt that they chose these coins as part of their deception."</blockquote>

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