The Puppeteer's Praxes (open)

[Wilfred]

It has come to my attention that I should have clarified certain points about this thread. Please check here for details.

"Everywhere. That's the thing, really, although the murders were just the most recent development", said Glofir, leaning back with his fingers entwined about a fresh cup of tea. "However, I am sure that more, mm, contractors are due to arrive soon. I would prefer to wait until then before I touch upon these recent disturbances in depth - lest I have to go through it all again."

He took a sip, and smiled. "Besides, aren't you interested in meeting your prospective colleagues?"

[Prophet]

I might be inactive for a bit tomorrow and the next few days after that. Feel free to puppet me wherever we go.

"Sure, why not."

The Prophet leaned back into his chair and pulled out a small vial and pulled out the stopper. The ivory liquid flowed out into his hand and formed into a tube. The Prophet took out a tube of ink and inserted it into a hole at the top and let some flow onto the tip of the pen. He pulled out a pad of paper and started scratching away.

"Murders-Unknown cause-Will be discussed-Time-Broad daylight."

He stopped for a second and looked at it for a second before putting the paper away and putting the pen in one of the inside pockets of his coat.

"So, we shall wait."

He sipped his tea again and closed his eyes, if you could call flaming sockets eyes, humming an odd tune.

[Wilfred]

As Prophet's melody carried on, the shop remained stubbornly empty of all save the four already there. Glofir develop a slight frown, and checked the time on a tall grandfather clock at the back wall with increasing frequency. The candles in the chandeliers and sconces flickered and ran down ever so slightly as the time passed. At last, Glofir seemed to have had enough.

"Well, that is disappointing. One wonders where people's sense of civic duty is these days. Oh well", he finished with a sigh. "I'll not keep you waiting any longer. Let us begin."

The old fellow grabbed the quill, dipped it in a pot of scarlet ink, and began marking points on the map. "The three murders were performed by one Terry Wilcher, in the western part of the city, here. Apparently, he took a knife with him to the street market and stabbed three people in broad daylight. It was this case which fostered my involvement."

Glofir took another sip of tea, and ceased his penmanship long enough to tap the silver platter of the coffee set with his quill. A couple of plates of scones appeared, along with a small pot of whipped cream and a jar of strawberry jam. "Please, help yourself", he invited. Glofir himself began applying a liberal amount of jam to one of the scones before he continued with their business. "Terry's family are old friends. I never really knew the lad myself, but by all accounts, this was completely out of character, and apparently, he claimed to have no memory of the incident.

"It all clicked for me just then - the thefts, the assaults. I had heard the same thing, that what these people did was so unexpected for them. Gentlemen, I suspect these are no ordinary travesties. There may be some exogenous force, here."

[Hu]

Hu Tian had just about given up trying to work out where she was. Two facts followed her wherever she went. One, she was immortal. So if anything bad happened to her, it would not be bad for long. Two, she was going to have to get used to all of this pig shit and fantasy film set stuff sooner or later…

“So why not have fun?” she clucked. She had asked herself that question roughly thirty times on her trek across the city.

It had not given her any comfort. She had awoken in a ditch, more or less, and stumbled out into a busy market place. Clothes dishevelled, hair eschew, and heart racing, she had waited in a tavern for the evening to get coin to find clothes, hide them away for return trips, and get her bearings. Every time she came to wherever here was, she landed in a completely different city.

When she finally came to the correct door referred to in the advertisement, she straightened herself out. She pulled back her jet back hair into a knot, and tied it with a scrap of blue cloth. Despite the magic, the people of the world had yet to invent hair bands. She dusted her lapel, she checked her notepad and ‘quill’ were in the satchel she had ‘acquired’, and then put out a dainty fist.

“Hello?” she shouted, as the sound of her knocking rang through the dusty windowed building.

She looked down at her feet, compiled her thoughts, and leant some thought to the task. People were dropping dead all over the city, and Hu Tian was very good at finding out why.

[Wilfred]

Glofir peered out at the disheveled woman looking in. "The door is open, miss", he called out.

While Hu Tian dealt with the onerous task of entering the shop, the wizard rubbed his eyes wearily. "If you have questions about any of this, please feel free to ask them as they come up."

[Solar Haven]

Adonis had read the poster up on the wall and was intrigued enough to check out the shop were this was taking place. After all he couldn't stand any one murdering anything. he wanted to see if he could resolve this peacefully if he could, even though it may come down to bloodshed in the end. So he left in search of the Shop only to find it once a few people had arrived.

Seeing the present company inside, Adonis couldn't help but feel unnerved, he didn't like being in a room full of people he didn't know, let alone converse with them. so he found an open window and put his back against the wall nearby. Adonis had spent the last few minute's waiting outside the little shop, listening in on the conversation. At the mention of the Murderers not remembering the attack at all, a question sprang into his mind. Forgetting that he was just listening in on the conversation, instead of partaking in it he quickly blurt out.

"Was there any powerful Wind Magic used in the Vicinity? i read that all mind control magic derives from the wind element mostly, but branching off from there" He then continued to further justify his question "If magic was used, all we have to do is try and track down this mage that has a great affinity with the wind element. and if there was no magic used. it may be a substance they drank or ate, so if we were to locate any place that all of them ate or drank at, we would have a stronger place to start. After all these people can't be chosen at complete random, can they?"

[Krausus]

Sirius looked thoughtfully at the map for a minute then said

"What are the relations of the three people killed? Class? Power?"

He took a scone and put some jam on it before continuing

"If. We find a pinpoint relationship between the three victims, we could reasonably assume that the killer, in his delusion was killing specific people."

He then stood up and started pacing up and down the length of the desk, muttering things amount complex equations and special chemichals only found in the mines. That induce erratic behavior

"Ah-ha! Maybe, just maybe, there is a chemichal i heard of from a magus a few weeks back. He said it induces erratic behavior in the imbiber. So i would agree with this Adonis fellow, and say we find the place they all ate last."

[Aurelianus Drak'shal]

"As for your mind control theory, mate, not all of it stems from elemental roots. Different planes, different sources of magick. Hell," he said, looking over his shoulder at the man perched over by the window, "it changes from sod to sod - material components, chants, incantations, invocations, somatic components, willpower.." he shrugged, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture to indicate the list went on and on. He was a walking example of this.

But 'e might be on to somethin' with trackin' any magicks used. The tiefling licked his fangs, keeping his thoughts to himself. It might be beneficial for him to look up any scryers in the area who could trace any lingering remains... He could consider that line of thought after he'd visited the sites and had a look-see himself.

Aurelius sighed, shaking his head softly - something else was bugging him. These people - the ones he'd already dismissed as beneath him, and the two others- were overlooking one very simple possibility.

"Who says this sod isn't just picking his victims at random?" he asked, lighting another cigarette from inside his coat. Blowing a cloud of smoke, he decided to ignore the muttering twat strolling the room. He turned his attention back to the map, his yellow eyes narrowing slightly as he committed the locations of the murder to memory. Junior chirped from his shoulder, shaking its wings as it stretched. It didn't understand anything that was being said, so occupied itself rubbing its scalpel fingers together with a soft *shikking* noise.

"Some addle-coves find out they 'ave a shiny new power, first thing they do is go on a spree."

A smirk spread across his face.

"That's what I'd do."

[Prophet]

"Hmph, 5000 years on your own would do you wonders...."

Xaxan glared at the the half-breed for a second, he then said.

"Well, it is nearing dusk and i must go. Please, make a copy of that map tomorrow.

The Prophet turned around and the turned back around.

"Oh, and you know how to get to me if you need me. But i cant come until dawn."

He then walked out of the door, waved and vanished.

Prophet's Tomb
"Eugh. Murders, senses, Hells, all of it makes sense but it doesnt. "

Xaxan sat down on the bed and pried Stormfire off his shoulder. He took out his pen and started scratching away again, writing down details and analyzing the facts.

"Lets see. Out of nature. That's what's bothering me. I have no idea why they are doing this. Only three traces of magic, that a two year old mage stuck in a pot at the bottom of the ocean could sense. They are sporadic. And they seem to be committed by one or two people. Never the same one twice in a row though....... Strange."

[Hu]

The moment she crossed the threshold, Hu wished she had not. The conversation was addling enough to her otherworldly mind, but the strange array of ‘individual’s’ that had gathered in support of solving the crime blew her cam entirely. She glanced at each member in turn, holding back the urge to ask just what, and why, and whom, and what-the-fuck-are-they-for? The latter question reserved for the red-skinned creature she could only describe as an oni.

“I…don’t know anything about magic,” she sputtered. She bit back her tongue, checking that it was okay to speak, and when she saw that everyone was looking at her, she continued all the same. “I do know murders, though.” She wagged a finger, and moved closer into the naturally forming circle. “There won’t be a trait binding them, it’ll be a cause…perhaps, just perhaps, an ideology. What sort of thing would bring people together to kill?”

She thought back to early China, and again, to the communist regime, and frowned.

“Rebellion, terrorism, and guilt, perhaps?” She shrugged non-chalant.