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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 9166727" data-attributes="member: 6696971">Perfect.  Alright, lets go with a Complexity 1, of-level SC to uncover what haunts Red Rock (whether through Steward Kaveh or other).So 4 x DC 16 Medium Primary Checks.  1 Secondary Skill at Easy DC 12.Going to start with Pa'avu's move as she observes the goings-ons and the githyanki boy specifically.1/4 Successes (0 Failures/0 Secondary Skills AvailablePa'avu's assessment of the boy's tone, pallor, and physical condition is rock-solid (tee-hee!).  Though her encounters are minimal with those of this kind, she held the memory firm.  Further still, her people had stories of hostilities with members in the past, and the details of hostilities hold a firm grasp in the mind of martial cultures tasked with maintaining the precarious balance of predator/prey relationship in a ruthless environment.The boy's skin is complected with a healthy olive.  His movements indicate good health...nothing like the "mortal wounded" that Steward Kaveh was recounting...Pa'avu has seen many a servant...many a slave...in their behavior toward those they serve.  And her grasp of the alien culture of the Astral Sea-inhabiting githyanki is that slavery, servitude, and duty are fundamental to their cultures.  As such, conformity and respect for that chain-of-command is paramount. When Ishka pours the wine, his movements and posture are not that of deference.  When he turns away toward the sundries chamber, his countenance change is immediate yet subtle.  It becomes even less that of "one who is low member of caste" or "subservient to a master."  There is a hint of...disdain...and not the kind Pa'avu has seen in longterm slaves who have endured a legacy of mistreatment...it is the disdain an alpha predator holds for prey that dares to be so meek.When Ishka stops at the door to listen in on the harsh scolding of Steward Kaveh by Chanvati, though the features are somewhat alien, she definitely notices (a) the purposeful pause to overhear and (b) a furrowing of the boy's brow.Finally, though scabbard and weapon are missing, a beautifully engraved metallic loop to fasten one to the "servant's bandolier" on his back remains...The githyanki youth disappears inside the sundries chamber.2/4 Successes (0 Failures/0 Secondary Skills AvailableMaster Kaveh smiles with a brow caught in pained contortions at the scolding. Behind his spectacles, his eyes flit this way and that as if trying to observe his periphery without betraying his actions."Yes...yes sir...of course.  I forget myself.  Please accept my most humble apologies."  His head lowers.  "Do you remember when you were a child and we would practice thought projection?  Your psi-crafter tutors would spend the day with us as we went about our daily affairs.  They would try to detect if you were reading the thoughts of others or projecting your own into others' minds?  When you failed, they would beat you horrifically with cane.  It was a terrible specter to behold and be so powerless to put a stop to it.  Do you remember the first time you were able to defy their surveillance?  What a day that was...so much happiness for all of House Adaseie!"[HR][/HR]He's frightened.  He's clearly not in control here.  Something ominous is lurking and he is afraid, surely for himself but perhaps for the whole of the enclave, to betray it.  And something isn't just surveilling material exchange of words, but telepathic as well. Do you force him to another chamber or a walk outside of the grounds to spill (and risk notice from whatever surveils)?  Do you intrude into his mind with Detect Thoughts (take +2 circumstance for Arcana to prevent telepathic surveillance) for a brief exchange?</blockquote>

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