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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3369216" data-attributes="member: 35788">Semeion instantly felt a surge of doubt flow through his body.  “A mage, you say?”  His eyes narrowed and a scowl appeared over his face.  “Interestingly enough, a mage may well have been involved in making our job even more difficult.”Charis smiled at her husband’s immediate conclusion.  “Not that there aren’t more than one mage in the world, of course.  For that matter, there’s more than one mage in Fingerdale.  You’ll have to excuse my husband.  He himself has a bit of magical prowess himself.”The woman smiled and interrupted Charis’ speech.  “Well, I have learned from my master that there are few people in this world who are more critical of mages than other mages themselves.  Even those who detest magic are not as critical of those with the ability to cast spells as are mages when regarding another’s power.”Ischarus smiled, knowing his own magical abilities remained largely hidden.  Yet he knew full well that the woman spoke the truth.  He had once been quite skeptical of magic.  In spite of his innate skepticism, being around Semeion and Rhema had taught him that his own distrust could not match the distrust of people who knew first hand what the power of magic could do.  Since his own powers had begun to slowly develop he found a new distrust for the magic of other people that was much more focused than the general distrust he had known before.  It was almost as if receiving a taste of the unusual power immediate taught the possessor just how easy the power could corrupt.Rhema returned the conversation back to its original intent.  “Regardless of the  distrust of magic, you say that your master can help us?  Bloodseeker is dead.  Unless your master can speak to the dead, how can your master help us?”The woman nodded knowingly.  “I suspected that you would have your fair share of doubts and questions.  It would only be expected, after all!  This was one question that I am prepared for.  My master believes that your thoughts are too limited.  The scope of your understanding is rather narrow.  You sought out Bloodseeker because you caught Darkbringer and Darkbringer led you in that direction.  That conclusion was certainly natural.  Yet when you met up with the difficulty of losing Bloodseeker your thoughts did not expand as they should have.”Semeion continued to glare at the woman.  “Your master shows all the arrogance of a great wizard.  If he knows our thoughts and knows the situation so well, why has he done nothing to help us?  If he is following our cause so closely without doing anything to help, that is even more proof to doubt your words and intent.”The woman allowed Semeion’s directed insults to pass through her completely.  The smile remained on her face and she turned slightly to look at Semeion.  “I can understand how your frustration would lead you to that conclusion.  However, the conclusion is wrong.  You see, my master has only been aware of your dilemma for a few days.  My master only knows of your dilemma from what I told him.  Personally, I only knew enough to research your cause once I discovered the hoax regarding Darkbringer upon your second return to the Shrouded Tenor.  I had to do my own investigation before realizing that my master might be able to help.  Surely you can understand that a mage as powerful as my master cannot be troubled with the trivial.  I only informed my master a few days ago once I had done enough research to know that it was worth his time.”Semeion offered a brief rebuttal.  “And all of your research you did without involving us?  Don’t you think that your research would have been a bit more productive had you come to us in the first place?The woman nodded, acknowledging the comment’s validity.  “Indeed.  If I had known then what I have come to know now, I would have started with you all.  However, your own deception taught me that you might have ulterior motivations.  Had you all been more forthcoming and less deceptive yourselves, I would have also been more trusting.  In spite of this, I can understand why it is that you were deceptive as well.  Dealing with the organization that you look for is not easy and not straightforward.  Deception is often necessary.”Rhema spoke next, reassuring the woman.  “I don’t know about the others, but I can accept that explanation.  Of course, that is especially true if your master can help us in our quest to avenge what has happened here.  There can be little doubt that you see for yourself the destruction here and the effort necessary to overcome it.  But what do you mean by calling our efforts limited in scope?  In what way were we narrow?”The woman replied with a flat tone.  “You caught Darkbringer and sought out Bloodseeker.  But when you lost the trail of Bloodseeker – largely in part to what I have come to understand to be Bloodseeker’s death in an alley in Fingerdale – you efforts died with it.  There is no doubt that there are more members of the Ephistaemi who know the reasons that this villa was destroyed.  You scope should have widened to catch any member of the Ephistaemi, not just Bloodseeker.”Ischarus spoke for the first time.  “We understand that.  But have you ever tried to infiltrate an organization that officially doesn’t exist anywhere?  What is it that you think your master can do for us?”The woman turned back to Ischarus.  “It is not what I think the master can do for you.  It is more what my master knows that he can do for you.  We know enough to realize now that you seek the Ephistaemi.  And as you have already asserted, securing an audience within the Ephistaemi is quite difficult.  However, it is not impossible, especially for someone as talented, connected, and powerful as my master.  What my master is offering is to put you in contact with the Ephistaemi so that you may receive your answers.”Ischarus now frowned and spoke skeptically.  “Your master can put us in touch with the Ephistaemi?  I don’t know that I want to know how much that will cost us!”Rhema concurred with her husband’s conclusion.  “Not only that, but I doubt that the Ephistaemi will readily reveal their sources.  From what our sources have told us, the Ephistaemi pride themselves on subversively accomplishing difficult tasks.  If it gets out that the Ephistaemi disclose who is providing funding for the work that is being done, they’ll stop having clients.  You can’t honestly believe that the Ephistaemi will share their secrets even if we could contact them!”The woman smiled quite deviously and her eyes seemed to twinkle in enjoyment of a thought that passed through her mind.  “Then I suppose that is  where trust comes in.  Right now you have nothing but the knowledge that the Ephistaemi have the answers that you seek.  If you cannot find the Ephistaemi, you have nothing.  My master can at least put you in touch with the Ephistaemi.  That is more than you have now.”Ischarus watched the woman intently as she spoke.  It was obvious that she was hiding something.  She wasn’t even trying to veil the fact that there was more at work in this situation than what was being disclosed.  However, he also knew that he had no useful leverage to use in an attempt to discover what the woman’s hidden agenda might contain.  “Very well.  What you say is true.  We currently have nothing and are no doubt at the end of our leads.  The Ephistaemi agents in the area have no doubt already been notified of our presence and likely will avoid us at most costs.  So what you offer is more than we could hope to gain on our own.   Tell us your master’s terms.  And while you’re at it, I don’t believe we know your name.”[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]Semeion instantly felt a surge of doubt flow through his body. “A mage, you say?” His eyes narrowed and a scowl appeared over his face. “Interestingly enough, a mage may well have been involved in making our job even more difficult.”Charis smiled at her husband’s immediate conclusion. “Not that there aren’t more than one mage in the world, of course. For that matter, there’s more than one mage in Fingerdale. You’ll have to excuse my husband. He himself has a bit of magical prowess himself.”The woman smiled and interrupted Charis’ speech. “Well, I have learned from my master that there are few people in this world who are more critical of mages than other mages themselves. Even those who detest magic are not as critical of those with the ability to cast spells as are mages when regarding another’s power.”Ischarus smiled, knowing his own magical abilities remained largely hidden. Yet he knew full well that the woman spoke the truth. He had once been quite skeptical of magic. In spite of his innate skepticism, being around Semeion and Rhema had taught him that his own distrust could not match the distrust of people who knew first hand what the power of magic could do. Since his own powers had begun to slowly develop he found a new distrust for the magic of other people that was much more focused than the general distrust he had known before. It was almost as if receiving a taste of the unusual power immediate taught the possessor just how easy the power could corrupt.Rhema returned the conversation back to its original intent. “Regardless of the distrust of magic, you say that your master can help us? Bloodseeker is dead. Unless your master can speak to the dead, how can your master help us?”The woman nodded knowingly. “I suspected that you would have your fair share of doubts and questions. It would only be expected, after all! This was one question that I am prepared for. My master believes that your thoughts are too limited. The scope of your understanding is rather narrow. You sought out Bloodseeker because you caught Darkbringer and Darkbringer led you in that direction. That conclusion was certainly natural. Yet when you met up with the difficulty of losing Bloodseeker your thoughts did not expand as they should have.”Semeion continued to glare at the woman. “Your master shows all the arrogance of a great wizard. If he knows our thoughts and knows the situation so well, why has he done nothing to help us? If he is following our cause so closely without doing anything to help, that is even more proof to doubt your words and intent.”The woman allowed Semeion’s directed insults to pass through her completely. The smile remained on her face and she turned slightly to look at Semeion. “I can understand how your frustration would lead you to that conclusion. However, the conclusion is wrong. You see, my master has only been aware of your dilemma for a few days. My master only knows of your dilemma from what I told him. Personally, I only knew enough to research your cause once I discovered the hoax regarding Darkbringer upon your second return to the Shrouded Tenor. I had to do my own investigation before realizing that my master might be able to help. Surely you can understand that a mage as powerful as my master cannot be troubled with the trivial. I only informed my master a few days ago once I had done enough research to know that it was worth his time.”Semeion offered a brief rebuttal. “And all of your research you did without involving us? Don’t you think that your research would have been a bit more productive had you come to us in the first place?The woman nodded, acknowledging the comment’s validity. “Indeed. If I had known then what I have come to know now, I would have started with you all. However, your own deception taught me that you might have ulterior motivations. Had you all been more forthcoming and less deceptive yourselves, I would have also been more trusting. In spite of this, I can understand why it is that you were deceptive as well. Dealing with the organization that you look for is not easy and not straightforward. Deception is often necessary.”Rhema spoke next, reassuring the woman. “I don’t know about the others, but I can accept that explanation. Of course, that is especially true if your master can help us in our quest to avenge what has happened here. There can be little doubt that you see for yourself the destruction here and the effort necessary to overcome it. But what do you mean by calling our efforts limited in scope? In what way were we narrow?”The woman replied with a flat tone. “You caught Darkbringer and sought out Bloodseeker. But when you lost the trail of Bloodseeker – largely in part to what I have come to understand to be Bloodseeker’s death in an alley in Fingerdale – you efforts died with it. There is no doubt that there are more members of the Ephistaemi who know the reasons that this villa was destroyed. You scope should have widened to catch any member of the Ephistaemi, not just Bloodseeker.”Ischarus spoke for the first time. “We understand that. But have you ever tried to infiltrate an organization that officially doesn’t exist anywhere? What is it that you think your master can do for us?”The woman turned back to Ischarus. “It is not what I think the master can do for you. It is more what my master knows that he can do for you. We know enough to realize now that you seek the Ephistaemi. And as you have already asserted, securing an audience within the Ephistaemi is quite difficult. However, it is not impossible, especially for someone as talented, connected, and powerful as my master. What my master is offering is to put you in contact with the Ephistaemi so that you may receive your answers.”Ischarus now frowned and spoke skeptically. “Your master can put us in touch with the Ephistaemi? I don’t know that I want to know how much that will cost us!”Rhema concurred with her husband’s conclusion. “Not only that, but I doubt that the Ephistaemi will readily reveal their sources. From what our sources have told us, the Ephistaemi pride themselves on subversively accomplishing difficult tasks. If it gets out that the Ephistaemi disclose who is providing funding for the work that is being done, they’ll stop having clients. You can’t honestly believe that the Ephistaemi will share their secrets even if we could contact them!”The woman smiled quite deviously and her eyes seemed to twinkle in enjoyment of a thought that passed through her mind. “Then I suppose that is where trust comes in. Right now you have nothing but the knowledge that the Ephistaemi have the answers that you seek. If you cannot find the Ephistaemi, you have nothing. My master can at least put you in touch with the Ephistaemi. That is more than you have now.”Ischarus watched the woman intently as she spoke. It was obvious that she was hiding something. She wasn’t even trying to veil the fact that there was more at work in this situation than what was being disclosed. However, he also knew that he had no useful leverage to use in an attempt to discover what the woman’s hidden agenda might contain. “Very well. What you say is true. We currently have nothing and are no doubt at the end of our leads. The Ephistaemi agents in the area have no doubt already been notified of our presence and likely will avoid us at most costs. So what you offer is more than we could hope to gain on our own. Tell us your master’s terms. And while you’re at it, I don’t believe we know your name.” [/Sblock]</blockquote>

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