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Tiziri	Tiziri? Has been resting. But tired to not, after the letter inside the box she was suddenly doing something odd. Almost meditating, meanwhile? Bright Journey, whereever she may be, is suddenly greeted by a small six winged figure that speaks to her of an urgent need to meet with the Ardent Vagabond, Tiziri, and directions to a place somewhere outside of the city. It may take a while to get there, but the directions are very good! Once the seeming meditation is completed, Tiziri looks even more woozy, almost drunk for a time, but obviously fighting to stay alert long enough to sip down some of the soup being made by one of her heavily robed figures before she says "I need to rest, you'll know when to wake me." And indeed, that's just what she does. Finds her bedroll to sleep again. The robed guards are scattered outside, or one in here.
Fudou the Mountain	Since their last meeting, The Mountain had not been idle. In various guises ranging from a great winged hawk to large maned great cat, he'd retraced their steps back towards the place of the ambush so masterfully executed and coordinated by said Argent Vagabond with his aid and the aid of Makara's necromantic capabilities. He doesn't venture too close or linger for overly long but a few circles are made of the shipwreck along with careful observation for any mortal activity of note that might have returned to the ship and that was worth catching his attention. In the end, he returns back to the safehouse in question, flying over the outer walls and fences and then descending to unfurl into his gigantic true form. The landing of the unfeasibly massive and muscled brute is...appropriately earthquake inducing sending a rumble into the main farmhouse itself to no doubt disturb poor Tiziri. He seems oblivious to this potential disruption of her rest as his deep bass voice booms loudly, "Tiziri!" while moving forward to open the building entrance unless stopped by one of her many robed guardians.
Tiziri	Raullaur too would get a message from a small, six winged figure instructing him to come to an abandoned farmhouse somewhere outside of the city, citing the Ardent Vagabond, Tiziri, as the one who wishes to meet. On important business!
Bright Journey	It seems like everyone talks about how potent and dangerous sorcerers can be, but rarely does the casual observer note just how -convenient- it is. A mundane person might have had to send a courier, or carrier pigeon, or perhaps a smoke signal or flare that can be seen for miles. But one sorceress to another? An Infallible Messenger conveys specific directions in moments, and just a couple hours later, a whirlwind rockets through the sky, bearing Bright Journey aloft. She can even carry Raullaur with her, thanks to the power of the Stormwind Rider. Alighting in the woods a couple hundred feet from the farmhouse, Bright lands with a dainty hop to the grass and a private little smile. Somewhat unfairly, not a hair is out of place, when by all rights she should look like a disheveled mess. She glances at Raul and says, "This way, my dear. I -think- that's the place. Her instructions were pretty specific. Shall we?" Despite asking, Bright doesn't really wait for an answer. She trots across the grass, heading towards the farmhouse and its guards. And then Fudou arrives, leaving all subtlety and pretense in the dust. She chuckles indulgently and keeps walking in after the big guy.
Raullaur	Raullaur is dressed casually, which does not detract from the leonine form one single bit. "This ought to be very interesting," he says, before Fudou's booming voice, and he just shakes his head, mane spilling around. "I think we're all here now," he says to the two Lunars. "Large prey indeed if it requires all four of us, and I want to hear more of the hunt ahead!'
Tiziri	The Robed figures seem willing to let Fudou pass. Yeah, they must know, somehow. Either way, Tiziri wakes up and blinks blearily, stretching her hands over her head again as she groans. "Did you bring wine? Please tell me you brought wine. I could really use some wine right now. Mmm, wine." She gets a weirdly wistful sort of look on her face as she says that, and soon enough looks almost disappointed as she obviously realizes there is no wine! A group of robed and veiled figures with spears of various quality and design are guarding the place too, or hiding, but they too seem willing to let Bright Journey (and Raullaur?) pass. Merely silently watching. Tiziri there sitting crosslegged near the fire looks over to the others too, still half lidded. "Oh, good. Easier now. Much easier."
Fudou the Mountain	"No wine..." confirms Fudou followed by a cheerful, "You did not ask for any wine!" He inclines his head, peering at Tiziri with a slow frown forming on his features as his eyes flicker back and forth. "Hmmm...are you still tired? What's the matter? DId that feat take that much out of you?" His query is interrupted as his ears seem to almost wiggle a touch and he turns his head in the direction of the entrance of the building well before Bright and Raullaur actually make their presence known. "Company." he notes, "Familiar ones. Did you summon them?" He's just full of questions it seems. Particularly ones that have rather obvious answers to them. "Greetings luv!" he intones with a slight exagerrated bow to Bright Journey as she finally arrives. His massive body leaning over like a bowing sequioa as he stretches his arms out. "And to you!" he adds upon seeing Raullaur at the last. "You both missed great fun. There was terror and explosions and enough siaka to go around for everyone."
Bright Journey	Bright Journey flips her pink hair behind her, brushing her hood back at the same time. She laughs out loud merrily as she walks in and stands to the side, making room for Raullaur. "Oh, my! It sounds like you two had quite the fun time. I...hope you're not hurt, though, Tiziri..." Her voice trails off as she studies the young woman closely. "It's been ages since I ever even thought about treating anyone, but you look dreadful, my dear. Are you quite all right?" Turning to Fudou, Bright nods in reply. "She did indeed let both of us know to stop by. The messages didn't have much of a story to tell--the directions took up all the message time, I fear--but I admit to a burning curiosity. Tell us you're not going to keep us in further suspense, please!" Bright smirks as she finds a hopefully not entirely dusty chair to sit in, legs elegantly crossed. "Mayhap I'll find a nice carafe of wine for you once we get back to the city, if you do."
Raullaur	"You look tired and drained. If you were one of my troops, I'd tell you to rest. But needs must when demons drive...what can we do to help?" The lion-man's tail slowly twitches behind him even as he otherwise relaxes and watches intently.
Tiziri	"There was a lot of sorcery." Tiziri says, even as the robed figure in the room goes to get another bowl of soup for Tiziri. Though really, almost more of a hearty stew it seems. Tiziri takes the bowl and sniffs it. "Anyone else hungry, feel free. It's good. Get it before Fudou does so there's some left." She has a quip if nothing else, humor! "Don't worry though, there are contingencies if things got too bad. A few layers, but I gave everything to this, to make sure the obfuscation worked." Tiziri reaches over towards a note and picks it up. "My heist plan was a success. I wish we'd have gotten more documents, but we got the important one. They will be none the wiser, and likely expect the Dead to have done it." A dark grin comes ot Tiziri's face. It sobers moments later, "Sadly, there's more. Names were in the intel, we're compromised by the allies of the Realm."
Fudou the Mountain	"You are certain?" presses Fudou, resting both of his massive hands against his waist now as he looks at Tiziri. "...Which names in particular and who are these 'allies'? Broadly speaking do you mean The Consortium or someone more specific? We'd considered the possiblity that it wasns't necessarily The Realm itself but possibly other agents searching for names of possible celestials in the region. This is confirming that is The Realm? Where are the docuemtns?" Another barrage of questions but the giant, despite his overall good cheer, seems to want to get right to the point as opposed to beating around the bush or even worrying about the stew. "I will say I find it strange that this information wasn't better guarded though I suppose there's something to be said for hwo intricate the box itself was..."
Raullaur	"We definitely need to know who they are, what they want. Then we draw up plans to defeat them...and execute them," Raul says, his voice almost a growl. I'm guessing I'm one of the names, but how much more did they write about who we were and what we can do? And who do we need to hunt down?" The warlord focused on the problem, perhaps overly so?
Bright Journey	"Oh, I don't know about that, Fudou," Bright muses as she stands back up to make her way over next to Fudou and Tiziri. "I mean, the ship itself was quite secret, from what I remember being told. And you said yourself this was just one of quite a few. Makes me wonder how long they've been collecting them. If they were trying to hide it, perhaps a plainer box would have done better, but really." She pauses, thinking a moment as she leans over and tries to get a good look at the letter. "I'm not sure we'd have ever known about the ship if you weren't so good at tailing them, Tiziri. Thank you! Anyway, let's see what we have..." Bright pauses, squinting in the torchlight to read the letter. "Dear Master Winding Path, I hope this letter finds you well. I apologize for being scarce these past few months, when the Congregation is at its busiest, but I know you will appreciate the necessity when I explain. First, permit me to apologize for the need to silence young Simon Tethry. He was a promising young apprentice, and I never bore him ill will, but when he intercepted a damning conversation between Anathema using the Resonating Crystals, he immediately said he would alert the Great Forks guard. I'm sure you see the threat that would pose to not just our duty to the Realm, but our operation as a whole. I swear upon the mercy of Sextes Jylis that I was painless and quick. The conversation I spoke of belongs in, and shall go to our repository, but I'm sure you agree that we are bound by duty and honor to report it to the Immaculate Order. I've finally gotten a high-ranking priest to agree to meet with me at the next new moon, in a clearing south of the city, just out of sight of the Arena. I believe you have been told of the place. I intend to pass on our information and swear to them that we will forget it forever after. Of course, they will have just a copy of the transcript and the sketches our Hawks made of the participants. We have their names, including "Bright", "Tiziri", "Raul", and this "Raksi", apparently an Anathema of influence. We're not entirely sure what name is attached to what sketch yet, but we'll find out when we safely can. Regardless, please find enclosed the second Resonance Crystal. The first one went missing, so please keep it sealed, but we dare not let it our of our sight at this point. We think the other one is too far away or sorcerously contained. Once I pass the information on I shall safely return to you and provide a complete report. Please await my return. Sincerely yours, Harlan Rathtalon, Nine Sheaves Master Merchant"
Tiziri	"Oh, the hunt is on." Tiziri says, her grin turning straight up feral. "As you see, we know who they are. We know when they'll meet with a high ranking Immaculate at that." She leans forward and seems altogether more dark, more predatory. "Worse, they name my Shahan-ya. This cannot be accepted. This ends, soon." A pause and a deep breath. "The crystal is safe too, buried in a box somewhere. They will not know. But the Nine Sheaves must die. It must be fast, brutal, and efficient. I will not suffer any protest to this, too much is at risk to do otherwise. Winding Path will need to be found too."
Fudou the Mountain	The massive lunar gives Raullaur a quick glance, raising an eyebrow at his words, but he otherwise remains silent and looks back towards Bright and Tiziri. When the letter is read aloud, Fudou merely grunts softly and reaches a hand up to rubs his jaw. his questions from before seemingly answered in one fell swoop. When Tiziri speaks the giant frowns a touch more and then finally just shakes his head and shrugs lightly. "Likely Raksi's name was heard in passing, considering our past conversations about taking Bright Journey eastward to meet her." he notes, looking oddly calm and placid in consideration of the information that's been revealed, "However before you dive in and make a decision here think carefully about the potential consquences and reach of your actions. If you're ready to accept that then that's one thing... but considering the scope of the information that is out there it's extremely unlikely that this will all simply 'go away' on account of just killing one man doing what he's been taught to do by corrupted stories and obligations. Do you intend to simply bring down an the entire Consortium and Congregation of Victory while also being well aware that there are agents of heaven lurking around as well?"
Bright Journey	Bright finishes reading the letter, her tone subdued and thoughtful. She sets the letter back down, scratching lightly at her pale chin and looks at Fudou curiously for a moment as he speaks. "Oh, right. You weren't there for that conversation, were you? We know which conversation they overhead because that was when we found the other stone--the Resonating Crystal, they call it. We did a sorcerous assay on the first crystal, and...eh, well, I'm getting a bit far afield there. The point is, what one crystal hears the other speaks. So to speak. The only reason we caught it was it was actually working both ways and we overheard the person listening--this poor lad Simon, apparently--scrape a chair leg or some such thing. "Anyway, the conversation was indeed about our plans to visit Raksi. It was in one of the private booths in the Arena, and we've been scrambling since to find out what happened, who knows about us, and contain that knowledge as best we can. So this letter is the key we needed. We know who knows, where they're headed, and in a general sense, who they're talking to. We have a chance to stop the information from going any further." Bright pauses and gives Tiziri a serious, concerned look. "And that, Tiziri, is why we -cannot- go after this Master Winding Path, wherever he is. Did you two not just put a great deal of effort into making our getting this look like an accident? If you do anything to Winding Path, assuming we can even find the person, how accidental is that going to look? The whole point of this was to keep this information from getting there. You -did that-. Now let's take advantage of it to put this whole mess to -bed-. I don't know about you, but I'm already not thrilled by having to go out and kill anybody, but I take comfort in the fact this Harlan Rathtalon clearly wants us dead, and turnabout is fair play. If we can kill him before the priest even gets there, such that he's left in the dark, that's even better. Can't guarantee that's possible, though."
Raullaur	Raul thinks a long moment, "If they come for us, it is time to strike. Perhaps time to leave the city and draw things away. For this? I...very much want to remove threats. So is this Winding Path a current threat? Or only a potential one?"
Tiziri	"I feel my time near Great Forks must come to an end either way, with this. Perhaps my pilgrimage to the Caul must commence sooner than anticipated, but the point is things are compromised." The states, and this is when she looks over towards Bright. "It would be last, but the worst part is I don't know how much more he knows. Our names, and apparently pictures, are possible. Yet what did they learn before? Who did they know of? I will not hazard the risk. We also need to consider these are not idiots we are dealing with. There is a very good chance of redundancy in their messaging. The spell I used to contact you? Even the right Mortal may be able to replicate. That is just one caveat here." Tiziri states. "And as for killing? This is not about the thrill. This is about saving future lives. Sometimes we, the Chosen, must make the hard choices and kill the few to save far more. Because if even one other message got through, a legion or five may be marching on here, or the Thousand Fangs, and that will be apocalyptic! I am done, we stand on the precipe and I will broker no chance of something going wrong." A pause, "We are the chosen, not cowards. It is time to act, decisively."
Fudou the Mountain	"You have already killed some few to save the many." notes Fudou simply. "The sailors on the ship, remember? If you would continue to be cavalier about it then so be it, I'm simply saying to be prepared. There's no gaurentee that killing this man won't cause more suspicion to be raised. If you consider the care he's gone through to protect this box, now that we've done what we did with the ship if we were to -also- go after him and simply kill him...to suggest that'd be an end to it is...not something I think is realistic. You wouldn't be able to stop with just him. You'd have to hunt and track down -all- possible avenues of where this infromation could have been spread." Fudou makes an absent gesture towards the documents, "This letter only tells us what it tells us. In short, we don't know who might know or what sort of protection he may have. IF I were in his shoes, once I'd learned of the ship going down, I'd be on immediate alert. Your path may be simple but if you step forward there will be an avalanche of effect and Great Forks will change for it."
Bright Journey	With a deep, saddened sigh, Bright looks away. She's still looking at the wall of the farmhouse as Tiziri and Fudou say their piece, with her arms crossed, a dark look on her face. Finally, as Fudou finishes up, she turns back to speak. Visually, she's speaking to everyone, but her words are clearly intended for Tiziri. "At some point, we will run into diminishing returns. Let's forget the morality for a moment and focus on the practical: Fudou is right in that killing Winding Path will cause more problems than it solves. If he disappears, I guarantee that not only will people assume it was because of what he knew, but they will go back and revisit the events of the tournament, too. Even people who know nothing about this now will start to investigate, and they will rightly assume it was because he knew too much. And they will all want to know what he knew. I'm not saying it's impossible to kill him cleanly, hon, but you can't prevent everyone from speculating about what it is that got him killed." She sighs and looks away again. "I'm saying that his death will not get you the safety you want."
Raullaur	"Or if you must kill him, hire mercenaries or assassins through someone else so that they don't know--or at least don't know easily--who is behind the hire, and have them try. Blame doesn't go back to you. Nor to the assassins or mercenaries, at least if they take it as only business. As long as he has more ability than ego, it should work. I've fought against folk who took it personally, though, even though their real enemy was the one who hired me." Raullaur yawns widely, "Or set it up that it looks like he was fixing things, and the local underworld was losing too much?"
Tiziri	"The avalanche has started already, it is too late for the pebbles to vote. We tried subtle, to save the innocent. Now we need to stop being such to deal with the guilty." Tiziri notes sincerely. "This letter implies they know a lot more. This letter prvoes there has been a lot more contact, we know they knew things before. Your name, Fudou, may well be among them delivered earlier. How long was this happening, there is no more room for chances. Suspicion is here. Worse, our dealing with the monk and the Merchant will bring attention too. The dead will find their peace in Lethe and rebirth. If we do not move quick, there WILL be far worse. This Winding Path will know they are compromised, likely because Anathema were being investigated, and send more. We are well past the point of simple deflection. "
Fudou the Mountain	The Mountain adjusts his stance slightly, shifting his great bulk to the side and bunching up his heavy sinew with the casual restless gesture of lifting his arm up to rub his lightly bearded jaw. After a moment, the full moon speaks: "There's no way to pierce my disguise. It's possible my name was delivered but my lie as an Exigent is difficult to dismiss as is the fact that I am Yennin and my kind are essence users who are the match for the dragonblood of the dreaming sea. But that's besides the point here.." He gestures absently, "As I see it you have a choice of two paths. If you choose to kill him, your own prophecy may fulfill itself. You have no way of knowing how many already know and his death will trigger these thoughts and further investigation, if not a represenative of The Hunt itself. There is no stopping that at this point. So kill him if you wish but then prepare for battle and entrench yourself outside of Great Forks and elsewhere in these lands, knowing that conflict is coming because it was -always- going to come. Great Forks would never be a forever sanctuary. It's simply too small for us." He then makes a gesture with his other arm, "Or...turn him. We have several among us whose word craft and sorcery befuddles minds and bewitches hearts. Capture him and then set him lose upon his own people with his mind confused but even that will only delay the ultimate matter which is that one way or another you -will- have to move beyond Great Forks and face the enemies out there."
Bright Journey	Bright squints a bit as she looks at Tiziri, frowning deeply. She looks like she's about to speak, hesitates, then finally says her piece. "Honestly, Tiziri, are you even sure all that information made it out of Great Forks? I don't see a mention of other 'anathema' here, and if they knew about Fudou I'm certain that he of all people could have been described. If they know what he looks like, they'd know his name for sure. He's a competitor! So is Raullaur, for that matter, and if they made the connection between Raullaur the mercenary leader in Great Forks, tournament competitor, and this letter, surely this letter would have mentioned it. Instead, it says they're still trying to match faces and names. I'm not sure this Harlan is close enough to the action to pick out individuals. He sounds like he belongs behind a desk somewhere, blotting ink. More importantly, if all of the information already made it to this Winding Path, what is the point of this letter? I am not sure I understand why you are so certain they know everything already." Bright pauses, gathering her thoughts, but when Fudou mentions bewitching hearts, she slowly nods. "It would take a significant amount of effort to convince him that what he heard had nothing to do with 'anathema' at all. But I've no doubt I could do it, doubly so with sorcery. The benefit to that over killing him is he himself will tell them he was wrong. It's not the easiest or quickest way, but it might work the best."
Tiziri	"I have watched, at least two other boats leave, and knew not what was one them. It took that time to figure out how to accomplish this heist. They know far more. All that I watched was after we detected that." She pauses a moment to let that sink in before adding. "I am not a gambler, even on my travels games of chance were never my way to have fun. I prefer certainty." Another pause, and then she looks more directly, "They directly mention anathema of influence, about my Shahan-ya. We can imply they know we are tied to her at the very least, and we spoke quite clearly about our desires and what she was, and we were. So yes, they know something." Another deep breath, and a bite of food this time. "Again, these people are not stupid, it is best to presume they have redundancy. I would."
Fudou the Mountain	"That they have redundancy is exactly why I believe that simply killing them won't stop anything." notes Fudou. "That is part of my overall point.." After another pause he glances to the Lionman, "You should not fight Raullaur and frankly it was a mistake for you to fight to begin with but..I suppose Misa was able to get far without revealing herself so maybe I'mb eing to harsh there. Still... You've no means to hide your nature and your weaponry bears the hallmarks of the Solar Exalted. I think we should postpone our match unless you wish to fight with a handicap which ...if that's the challenge you wish, so be it, but you should do all you can to protect your people until this is cleared up. I'll think of something to do for The Congregation.. Besides... They have your name as well so as soon as you are anounced in the tournament again they will be able to put two and two together." He looks over the others and then rumbles, "I've said my piece. If you choose to kill him, luv...then...I think it will create a bigger issue but as I said before, I will say again, I will fight before I run and at the end you will all have to make a choice. You cannot keep this place a playground for yourselves forever... Nor can I.." With that, he turns and begins to start for the exit.
Bright Journey	Bright lets out another deep sigh and considers Tiziri for a long moment. "Look, Tiziri..." She walks back over to the chair she sat in before and has a seat, legs crossed, both hands over one knee with the fingers interlaced. "How do I put this in a way that will make sense to you? I think...well, first and foremost please understand that all of us want to be safe. It sounds like you think we're not taking this seriously, but please understand that we are. This threatens our lives too, of course, and I take that very seriously. I do think that this Harlan fellow probably needs to die. I could convince him, and he could help convince others, but you know how it is. We could never be sure, right? And if he's told that priest we may have to kill the priest as well. But please understand that we aren't disagreeing with you on this because we don't mind being less safe. We're saying that it's safer for us to -not- kill him...or at least Fudou and I apparently think so. We can agree to disagree, right? Personally, I desperately just want to finish what we need to do and put this all behind me." Bright smiles fondly. Now. Other things. The other Resonance Crystal is safe in Elderloch. Now that we have both halves, I strongly suspect Rishi and Amethyst will want to join me in studying it...and you're a strong sorceress as well, so you may wish to join us. Learn what it can do, use it to our advantage. Also, you are hereby invited tto stop by the Mansion sometime soon for some very nice wine. just let me know when you can be free and I'll make time. "Now. I think you said something about soup, and I think breaking bread together is a very good next step. What do you think?"