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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3455817" data-attributes="member: 35788">Semeion and the warden locked eyes as the warden motioned for Semeion to return to his office.  Once they were both inside, the warden closed the door.  “Would you like for me to go and retrieve your friends once Darkbringer has been properly returned to the lower levels?”Semeion nodded appropriately, surprised by the sudden generosity expressed by the warden.  “Sure.  If nothing else, it will save me some time explaining everything over to them again.”The warden waited until Semeion sat down and then left him alone in the office.  He returned to the office a half dozen minutes later with the rest of the party in tow.  Since there were only two chairs in the office besides the warden’s chair, Semeion rose in order to allow both Charis and Rhema to occupy the seats.Charis reached out a hand and rubbed it along Semeion’s shoulder as she sat down.  “The warden said that you could fill us in better than he could since you were actually in the interrogation.  Did it go well?”Semeion pulled his lips to the left side of his face as he thought about the manner in which he wanted to describe the interrogation.  “The interrogation was successful, yes.  And I have the appropriate information – which I can share with you all later on so that the warden doesn’t have to listen to the details again.”Rhema could tell that Semeion was choosing his words carefully and that there was something about the interrogation that had bothered him.  “Just say it, Semeion.  I can tell by the way that you are dancing around the words that something didn’t go right.  Just say what it was.”Semeion took a deep breath and thought a bit more about his words before speaking again.  “Well, it is just that I don’t think Darkbringer knew that she gave me any information at all.”The warden’s head bobbed slowly in agreement.  “Yeah.  When Darkbringer was giving the information that Semeion asked for by using the code word, her tone was flat and emotionless.  Yet before and after Darkbringer gave the information she was combative in tone.  She was convinced that she didn’t have anything else to say at all.”Semeion continued where the warden left off.  “What’s weirder still is that even after she had finished giving me all the information she didn’t seem to remember doing so.  She acted as though the time spent giving me the information was lost to her.  It is as if once I said the word Phoenix her brain quit keeping track of memories.”Rhema has listened intently, and the scenario sounded familiar to her.  “Well, it sounds as though it was some kind of mental trick.  The question that I have is whether or not it was some kind of mental game she was playing on you or if it was some kind of brainwashing that she had been subjected to.”Both the warden and Semeion nodded in agreement, but it was the warden who spoke first.  “Brainwashing was my own first thought, personally.  She was acting as though someone else had taken over control of the interrogation.”Semeion looked more and more disturbed as the warden’s quick interjection gave him time to think about Rhema’s conjecture.  Charis noted Semeion’s look of disapproval and questioned the young mage on it.  “Semeion, you look even less happy than when we came in.  What’s going on in that mind of yours?”Semeion smiled briefly.  “I hadn’t considered that we were being played.  Up until now I had assumed that I had tapped into some unconscious memory that had been planted within her mind in case something went wrong with the plan.  I had assumed that much because the mage in Eberdeen was able to determine this course of action.  I assumed that he had discovered the Phoenix command in his research.  But what if we have been played to be the fool?”Charis turned in her chair to completely face Semeion who was standing behind her.  “By the mage of the wizard’s college or by Darkbringer?”Semeion merely shrugged.  “I don’t know.  My gut instinct is to say Darkbringer, because we fulfilled the mage’s request of us.  He’d have no reason to cross us as far as I can tell.”The warden interjected a thought as he recalled the interrogation.  “Do you think that another interrogation might answer that?  We saw how she responded to the Phoenix command.  Would subjecting her to the command once more prove anything useful?”Ischarus nodded in agreement, “Perhaps.  We could validate her story through another trial.  If the effect was identical, we could count on it being a form of brainwashing.  If she had made up the effect in order to play us, we would know that as well.”Rhema smiled and shook her head in disapproval.  “Tell me, how did the time when she didn’t seem herself end?”Semeion turned to look at Rhema.  “Suddenly.  As if when she had said everything that she was supposed to say then she automatically snapped out of her trance.”Rhema looked to the warden for confirmation and received it in the form of a nod.  “Well, if that is true, then a second pass at the effect may prove nothing.”Ischarus looked to Rhema and inquired further out of his lack of understanding regarding the mind and ways to charm it.  “What do you mean, Rhema?  If Darkbringer was trained for a response like a dog is trained with tricks, shouldn’t her response be the same?”Rhema and everyone else chuckled at Ischarus’ analogy.  “Yes, if Darkbringer was trained through repetition.  If Darkbringer was charmed magically or subjected to hypnotism, the process could have been completed by ordering that the knowledge be eliminated at the end of the sequence.  So a second interview might not gain any results at all.”Charis’ eyes danced back and forth as she thought through the possibilities.  “Wait a minute.  If Darkbringer was given the message without her realizing it, then it seems like it should either repeat identically or else it shouldn’t work at all, correct?”The warden smiled and nodded as he followed Charis’ thought.  “Indeed.”Charis continued.  “So, if we interview her again and either of those options happen then we could assume the message was a plant without her knowing the actual content.  As to whether the message was legitimate or not is another question in that case.  But, if she tries to mimic the original presentation and doesn’t get it right, then we’ll know that she was playing us for the fool.”Ischarus nodded in agreement.  “Sounds like a plan to me.”Semeion shook his head.  “It isn’t so easy.”Charis turned again in her chair and feigned a frown in Semeion’s direction.  “There’s always a deep thinking mage to ruin a decent plan.”  Semeion responded to her tease with a smile of his own.Rhema finished Semeion’s thought for him in order to give his interjection a little credence.  “Actually, he’s right.  If Darkbringer is skilled in the methodology of interrogation, hypnotism, or even charm magic she’d know everything I just said.  She could easily feign it and say nothing.  Then she’d have played us twice.”Ischarus looked down upon his wife.  “You enjoy making life complicated, don’t you?”  He added a loving smile to the end of his accusation to soften the tone.Rhema replied with a smile of her own and pointed to Semeion.  “Don’t look at me.  He’s the one that started it all with his doubting of her sincerity.”Semeion smiled at the exchange.  “Yeah.  That is the interesting thing that most people don’t understand about magic.  I used my magic to try and deceive her.  If she knows enough about magic in return, she could use that knowledge to deceive us as well.  Magic seldom solves problems.  Often, it simply creates more problems than it solves.”Charis looked up to Semeion and asked an honest question.  “So, why do you do it?”Semeion smiled sincerely.  “Because it’s fun!”  A mischievous look of amuzement passed over his face as he smiled at Charis.The warden interjected into the party’s excursion from the topic at hand.  “Either way, I want another interrogation, and this time I’m doing the interrogation and you all can watch through the magical sensors.”An hour later the party left the jail.  They were no closer to knowing if Darkbringer had told the truth or had played them.  Darkbringer had not given any indication that the word Phoenix had any meaning for her at all.  In fact, the mention of the Phoenix command only agitated her because she claimed to not have any useful knowledge and that the warden was wasting her time.The party’s work in Fingerdale was now done, however.  It was time to return to the villa and plan.  Semeion would describe to the party what Darkbringer claimed the Phoenix command entailed on their way to the villa.  Then it would simply be a matter of waiting for Brandt to show up.[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]Semeion and the warden locked eyes as the warden motioned for Semeion to return to his office. Once they were both inside, the warden closed the door. “Would you like for me to go and retrieve your friends once Darkbringer has been properly returned to the lower levels?”Semeion nodded appropriately, surprised by the sudden generosity expressed by the warden. “Sure. If nothing else, it will save me some time explaining everything over to them again.”The warden waited until Semeion sat down and then left him alone in the office. He returned to the office a half dozen minutes later with the rest of the party in tow. Since there were only two chairs in the office besides the warden’s chair, Semeion rose in order to allow both Charis and Rhema to occupy the seats.Charis reached out a hand and rubbed it along Semeion’s shoulder as she sat down. “The warden said that you could fill us in better than he could since you were actually in the interrogation. Did it go well?”Semeion pulled his lips to the left side of his face as he thought about the manner in which he wanted to describe the interrogation. “The interrogation was successful, yes. And I have the appropriate information – which I can share with you all later on so that the warden doesn’t have to listen to the details again.”Rhema could tell that Semeion was choosing his words carefully and that there was something about the interrogation that had bothered him. “Just say it, Semeion. I can tell by the way that you are dancing around the words that something didn’t go right. Just say what it was.”Semeion took a deep breath and thought a bit more about his words before speaking again. “Well, it is just that I don’t think Darkbringer knew that she gave me any information at all.”The warden’s head bobbed slowly in agreement. “Yeah. When Darkbringer was giving the information that Semeion asked for by using the code word, her tone was flat and emotionless. Yet before and after Darkbringer gave the information she was combative in tone. She was convinced that she didn’t have anything else to say at all.”Semeion continued where the warden left off. “What’s weirder still is that even after she had finished giving me all the information she didn’t seem to remember doing so. She acted as though the time spent giving me the information was lost to her. It is as if once I said the word Phoenix her brain quit keeping track of memories.”Rhema has listened intently, and the scenario sounded familiar to her. “Well, it sounds as though it was some kind of mental trick. The question that I have is whether or not it was some kind of mental game she was playing on you or if it was some kind of brainwashing that she had been subjected to.”Both the warden and Semeion nodded in agreement, but it was the warden who spoke first. “Brainwashing was my own first thought, personally. She was acting as though someone else had taken over control of the interrogation.”Semeion looked more and more disturbed as the warden’s quick interjection gave him time to think about Rhema’s conjecture. Charis noted Semeion’s look of disapproval and questioned the young mage on it. “Semeion, you look even less happy than when we came in. What’s going on in that mind of yours?”Semeion smiled briefly. “I hadn’t considered that we were being played. Up until now I had assumed that I had tapped into some unconscious memory that had been planted within her mind in case something went wrong with the plan. I had assumed that much because the mage in Eberdeen was able to determine this course of action. I assumed that he had discovered the Phoenix command in his research. But what if we have been played to be the fool?”Charis turned in her chair to completely face Semeion who was standing behind her. “By the mage of the wizard’s college or by Darkbringer?”Semeion merely shrugged. “I don’t know. My gut instinct is to say Darkbringer, because we fulfilled the mage’s request of us. He’d have no reason to cross us as far as I can tell.”The warden interjected a thought as he recalled the interrogation. “Do you think that another interrogation might answer that? We saw how she responded to the Phoenix command. Would subjecting her to the command once more prove anything useful?”Ischarus nodded in agreement, “Perhaps. We could validate her story through another trial. If the effect was identical, we could count on it being a form of brainwashing. If she had made up the effect in order to play us, we would know that as well.”Rhema smiled and shook her head in disapproval. “Tell me, how did the time when she didn’t seem herself end?”Semeion turned to look at Rhema. “Suddenly. As if when she had said everything that she was supposed to say then she automatically snapped out of her trance.”Rhema looked to the warden for confirmation and received it in the form of a nod. “Well, if that is true, then a second pass at the effect may prove nothing.”Ischarus looked to Rhema and inquired further out of his lack of understanding regarding the mind and ways to charm it. “What do you mean, Rhema? If Darkbringer was trained for a response like a dog is trained with tricks, shouldn’t her response be the same?”Rhema and everyone else chuckled at Ischarus’ analogy. “Yes, if Darkbringer was trained through repetition. If Darkbringer was charmed magically or subjected to hypnotism, the process could have been completed by ordering that the knowledge be eliminated at the end of the sequence. So a second interview might not gain any results at all.”Charis’ eyes danced back and forth as she thought through the possibilities. “Wait a minute. If Darkbringer was given the message without her realizing it, then it seems like it should either repeat identically or else it shouldn’t work at all, correct?”The warden smiled and nodded as he followed Charis’ thought. “Indeed.”Charis continued. “So, if we interview her again and either of those options happen then we could assume the message was a plant without her knowing the actual content. As to whether the message was legitimate or not is another question in that case. But, if she tries to mimic the original presentation and doesn’t get it right, then we’ll know that she was playing us for the fool.”Ischarus nodded in agreement. “Sounds like a plan to me.”Semeion shook his head. “It isn’t so easy.”Charis turned again in her chair and feigned a frown in Semeion’s direction. “There’s always a deep thinking mage to ruin a decent plan.” Semeion responded to her tease with a smile of his own.Rhema finished Semeion’s thought for him in order to give his interjection a little credence. “Actually, he’s right. If Darkbringer is skilled in the methodology of interrogation, hypnotism, or even charm magic she’d know everything I just said. She could easily feign it and say nothing. Then she’d have played us twice.”Ischarus looked down upon his wife. “You enjoy making life complicated, don’t you?” He added a loving smile to the end of his accusation to soften the tone.Rhema replied with a smile of her own and pointed to Semeion. “Don’t look at me. He’s the one that started it all with his doubting of her sincerity.”Semeion smiled at the exchange. “Yeah. That is the interesting thing that most people don’t understand about magic. I used my magic to try and deceive her. If she knows enough about magic in return, she could use that knowledge to deceive us as well. Magic seldom solves problems. Often, it simply creates more problems than it solves.”Charis looked up to Semeion and asked an honest question. “So, why do you do it?”Semeion smiled sincerely. “Because it’s fun!” A mischievous look of amuzement passed over his face as he smiled at Charis.The warden interjected into the party’s excursion from the topic at hand. “Either way, I want another interrogation, and this time I’m doing the interrogation and you all can watch through the magical sensors.”An hour later the party left the jail. They were no closer to knowing if Darkbringer had told the truth or had played them. Darkbringer had not given any indication that the word Phoenix had any meaning for her at all. In fact, the mention of the Phoenix command only agitated her because she claimed to not have any useful knowledge and that the warden was wasting her time.The party’s work in Fingerdale was now done, however. It was time to return to the villa and plan. Semeion would describe to the party what Darkbringer claimed the Phoenix command entailed on their way to the villa. Then it would simply be a matter of waiting for Brandt to show up.[/Sblock]</blockquote>

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