TIMESTAMP: Calid March 31, Searing 123
NOTES: -
NOTES: -
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The Gelerian Imperium was a big place; united under the reign of the Emperor, it was composed of four dutchies, all of which had their own capitals, each with a duke at the helm. Having lived in Zaichaer his entire life, a nation of this scale was strange to adjust to for Vergil– Hector might say the same, were his memories not traded away. Still, the sheer volume of both land and people was greater than any other major power on the northern continent, and it fascinated them both how the Emperor managed to reign over it all.
And while one could complicate that answer by delving into the infinite minutiae of the Imperium’s government, one of the most obvious facets that helped glue the nation together was the organization that the two vampyres had been unwittingly drafted into; that being the Inquisition. In the near year that they'd been in the Imperium, they'd actually traveled outside of it more than within the country's borders. The only one of the four dutchies they'd ever been to all this time was Gelerand, and even within Gelerand, they rarely left Gel’Grandal itself when within the Imperium.
That, however, would soon change. Hector had been working alongside senior Inquisitors for a while now, assisting them in their investigations mostly as an interrogator of sorts. But in doing so, he'd started to help them piece together the information he'd gathered with what they already had. Despite how aloof and empty headed he'd act most of the time, he was actually uncannily good with his deductions. As such, he'd shifted in position slightly, having been relegated under a single older Inquisitor– one Verena Nachtigal– in charge of investigating major crimes. Her exact purview, however, was mostly murders. The elf would still be primarily handling interrogations, the primary change being that now he had a single direct superior as opposed to floating between several different inquisitors.
And initially, this change didn't much affect his day to day work at all. But come late Searing, his now singular superior abruptly informed him they’d be traveling, staying in Dardouen for a time. Apparently, several of the smaller settlements had been suffering of late and the locals were struggling to solve the problem themselves– and so, they called upon the Inquisition to clean up their mess. Not unwise, though, given the circumstances; ritualistic killings were notably abnormal in the Dardouen countryside.
Hector, at first, showed concern about the fact that they’d be staying there until they found a resolution to the problem. He wasn’t particularly attached to Gel’Grandal and he was used to moving around for different assignments, but any time he’d left the city on Inquisition business prior was alongside Vergil. Upon voicing this, however, he was told that Vergil was actually coming with– he’d be playing the role of a coroner. Though this wasn’t his speciality, his expertise from his work in medicine and with both Necromancy and Vitalis would make it fairly easy for him to identify the cause of death. The Inquisition had previously provided him with Auralyth refined into Aura glass for his work at the hospital, and they would do the same for this as well.
The three of them would be the only members of the Inquisition working ‘in the field’ so to speak, at least for this endeavor, but they would be reporting back to others with their findings every so often. Sometimes, the locals perceived the Inquisition’s presence as an overstep or an encroachment upon their territory, and while this type of reaction was obnoxious and often counterintuitive, the most efficient option was to simply limit the amount of Inquisitors deployed, if feasible. Which, for this, it ought to be– it would reflect poorly upon Nachtigal, Hector, and Vergil altogether if more were needed.
The Inquisition, however, was not likely to be called in for a single death, even if strange. This generality rang true in this case as well; the local jurisdiction had been trying their hand at solving the problem for two murder scenes prior, admitting now that they needed help only after attempting to process the third themselves. Upon doing so and finally admitting they were out of their depth, they sent for assistance. That being the case, the three inquisitors were tasked with familiarizing themselves with the preceding incidents prior to taking their leave.
The unfortunate part was that the investigation in Dardouen had not reached Inquisition ears at all any earlier. Nachtigal had only just given word to Hector a few days before, with Vergil being informed even more abruptly that they were to prepare to leave when she was then told that a third scene had been discovered. Given the urgency of this case and the nature of this third incident, it was prudent that they not waste time. The three Inquisitors were given a day to review the previous findings before they were expected to mobilize and begin processing the newest incident. Of course, once they began, they would maintain access to all related files as they would then take over composing such things themselves. Still, it would have been nice to have been given advance warning of any kind. For this reason, Nachtigal called the other two together to a hastily thrown together meeting in a room she'd procured near her office in the Inquisition’s heart.
Hector at first arrived alone, having mobilized independently of Vergil; they'd been summoned on extremely short notice. When the two had parted ways that morning, all Vergil had communicated to Hector was that the day would be busy for him and that he might end up returning home late that evening. Unfortunately, the physician was entangled in a task he could not immediately abandon when they were initially called to meet with Nachtigal.
Entering the small, well organized office, he did not know very much about the case at hand. Nachtigal, as expected, was already there, poring over a series of files that she had spilled all over the central table in sharp contrast to the otherwise orderly nature of the room. So engrossed was she in these files that she did not even appear to notice when Hector entered.
Verena Nachtigal was an older half-elf, though her Hytori side made her appearance belie her age. Even when mixed, those who bore Raella's Grace did not age until their twilight years. Wearing the same Inquisitor's uniform as Hector (though hers had differing accoutrements signifying her senior rank), she had deep, chestnut brown hair lit with warm undertones and subtle, golden highlights. Her eyes were green flecked with gold. She bore elfin features that were an elegant sort of austere, and while it was perfectly normal for her visage to don an expression of a stern sort of determination, today, she looked more exhausted than anything else.
“Nachtigal?” Hector asked, sounding cautious– a tone that was odd for him– in an attempt to get her attention.
His voice startled the frazzled looking half-elf, her gaze abruptly snapping onto her protégé for only a moment before switching back to that which she had been reading.
“Good, you're here,” she sounded a mix of relieved and annoyed, though not at the younger elf.
“Here, sit– start here, there's a lot,” as she spoke, she gestured to a chair beside her and haphazardly slid a specific folder over in front of it.
“...this is such a mess…” Nachtigal continued, though this time mumbling mostly to herself.
It was clear from the tension carried in her shoulders, the creases in her brow, and the shadows beneath her eyes that the woman was under an immense amount of stress– and that she had been here for a while already.
Hector, contrastingly, carried himself in a manner notably oblivious to the pressure he ought to be under. But though he might’ve looked aloof, he felt far more than a fair amount anxious. He wasn't sure what he'd been looped into, though the vagaries he'd been told…absolutely captivated him, to say the least. The level of duress his mentor was under, however, only served to unnerve him. Nonetheless, he was not daft– he was quick to obey her instructions.
“Vergil is on his way, yes? His insight with regards to the local coroner’s notes would be useful,” she asked, words spoken quickly, but precisely.
“I…would imagine so; I’m…not sure what’s holding him up. All I know is that he’s at the hospital.” Hector stuttered at the start; he wanted to answer the question properly, but he didn’t know. It wasn’t as if he was able to keep constant tabs on the other man.
Nachtigal just sighed. She was used to efficiency, and this situation was, apparently, far below par for her standards. Frankly, many things were. The Inquisition and Imperium in general both usually ran like a well oiled machine, but when the systems in place encountered abnormalities or miscommunication, such efficiency could be taxed greatly in the effort it took to get back on track. She was never one to appreciate being caught in the middle of lapses such as these.
By now, Hector had just begun to leaf through the folder that Nachtigal had slid in front him. It was a compilation of all of the information that had thus far been recorded regarding the first murder scene in this series of unfortunate events. Contained within were written notes about the scene itself, photographs, witness accounts, autopsy reports, investigative suppositions and so on and so forth.
And while one could complicate that answer by delving into the infinite minutiae of the Imperium’s government, one of the most obvious facets that helped glue the nation together was the organization that the two vampyres had been unwittingly drafted into; that being the Inquisition. In the near year that they'd been in the Imperium, they'd actually traveled outside of it more than within the country's borders. The only one of the four dutchies they'd ever been to all this time was Gelerand, and even within Gelerand, they rarely left Gel’Grandal itself when within the Imperium.
That, however, would soon change. Hector had been working alongside senior Inquisitors for a while now, assisting them in their investigations mostly as an interrogator of sorts. But in doing so, he'd started to help them piece together the information he'd gathered with what they already had. Despite how aloof and empty headed he'd act most of the time, he was actually uncannily good with his deductions. As such, he'd shifted in position slightly, having been relegated under a single older Inquisitor– one Verena Nachtigal– in charge of investigating major crimes. Her exact purview, however, was mostly murders. The elf would still be primarily handling interrogations, the primary change being that now he had a single direct superior as opposed to floating between several different inquisitors.
And initially, this change didn't much affect his day to day work at all. But come late Searing, his now singular superior abruptly informed him they’d be traveling, staying in Dardouen for a time. Apparently, several of the smaller settlements had been suffering of late and the locals were struggling to solve the problem themselves– and so, they called upon the Inquisition to clean up their mess. Not unwise, though, given the circumstances; ritualistic killings were notably abnormal in the Dardouen countryside.
Hector, at first, showed concern about the fact that they’d be staying there until they found a resolution to the problem. He wasn’t particularly attached to Gel’Grandal and he was used to moving around for different assignments, but any time he’d left the city on Inquisition business prior was alongside Vergil. Upon voicing this, however, he was told that Vergil was actually coming with– he’d be playing the role of a coroner. Though this wasn’t his speciality, his expertise from his work in medicine and with both Necromancy and Vitalis would make it fairly easy for him to identify the cause of death. The Inquisition had previously provided him with Auralyth refined into Aura glass for his work at the hospital, and they would do the same for this as well.
The three of them would be the only members of the Inquisition working ‘in the field’ so to speak, at least for this endeavor, but they would be reporting back to others with their findings every so often. Sometimes, the locals perceived the Inquisition’s presence as an overstep or an encroachment upon their territory, and while this type of reaction was obnoxious and often counterintuitive, the most efficient option was to simply limit the amount of Inquisitors deployed, if feasible. Which, for this, it ought to be– it would reflect poorly upon Nachtigal, Hector, and Vergil altogether if more were needed.
The Inquisition, however, was not likely to be called in for a single death, even if strange. This generality rang true in this case as well; the local jurisdiction had been trying their hand at solving the problem for two murder scenes prior, admitting now that they needed help only after attempting to process the third themselves. Upon doing so and finally admitting they were out of their depth, they sent for assistance. That being the case, the three inquisitors were tasked with familiarizing themselves with the preceding incidents prior to taking their leave.
The unfortunate part was that the investigation in Dardouen had not reached Inquisition ears at all any earlier. Nachtigal had only just given word to Hector a few days before, with Vergil being informed even more abruptly that they were to prepare to leave when she was then told that a third scene had been discovered. Given the urgency of this case and the nature of this third incident, it was prudent that they not waste time. The three Inquisitors were given a day to review the previous findings before they were expected to mobilize and begin processing the newest incident. Of course, once they began, they would maintain access to all related files as they would then take over composing such things themselves. Still, it would have been nice to have been given advance warning of any kind. For this reason, Nachtigal called the other two together to a hastily thrown together meeting in a room she'd procured near her office in the Inquisition’s heart.
- - -
Hector at first arrived alone, having mobilized independently of Vergil; they'd been summoned on extremely short notice. When the two had parted ways that morning, all Vergil had communicated to Hector was that the day would be busy for him and that he might end up returning home late that evening. Unfortunately, the physician was entangled in a task he could not immediately abandon when they were initially called to meet with Nachtigal.
Entering the small, well organized office, he did not know very much about the case at hand. Nachtigal, as expected, was already there, poring over a series of files that she had spilled all over the central table in sharp contrast to the otherwise orderly nature of the room. So engrossed was she in these files that she did not even appear to notice when Hector entered.
Verena Nachtigal was an older half-elf, though her Hytori side made her appearance belie her age. Even when mixed, those who bore Raella's Grace did not age until their twilight years. Wearing the same Inquisitor's uniform as Hector (though hers had differing accoutrements signifying her senior rank), she had deep, chestnut brown hair lit with warm undertones and subtle, golden highlights. Her eyes were green flecked with gold. She bore elfin features that were an elegant sort of austere, and while it was perfectly normal for her visage to don an expression of a stern sort of determination, today, she looked more exhausted than anything else.
“Nachtigal?” Hector asked, sounding cautious– a tone that was odd for him– in an attempt to get her attention.
His voice startled the frazzled looking half-elf, her gaze abruptly snapping onto her protégé for only a moment before switching back to that which she had been reading.
“Good, you're here,” she sounded a mix of relieved and annoyed, though not at the younger elf.
“Here, sit– start here, there's a lot,” as she spoke, she gestured to a chair beside her and haphazardly slid a specific folder over in front of it.
“...this is such a mess…” Nachtigal continued, though this time mumbling mostly to herself.
It was clear from the tension carried in her shoulders, the creases in her brow, and the shadows beneath her eyes that the woman was under an immense amount of stress– and that she had been here for a while already.
Hector, contrastingly, carried himself in a manner notably oblivious to the pressure he ought to be under. But though he might’ve looked aloof, he felt far more than a fair amount anxious. He wasn't sure what he'd been looped into, though the vagaries he'd been told…absolutely captivated him, to say the least. The level of duress his mentor was under, however, only served to unnerve him. Nonetheless, he was not daft– he was quick to obey her instructions.
“Vergil is on his way, yes? His insight with regards to the local coroner’s notes would be useful,” she asked, words spoken quickly, but precisely.
“I…would imagine so; I’m…not sure what’s holding him up. All I know is that he’s at the hospital.” Hector stuttered at the start; he wanted to answer the question properly, but he didn’t know. It wasn’t as if he was able to keep constant tabs on the other man.
Nachtigal just sighed. She was used to efficiency, and this situation was, apparently, far below par for her standards. Frankly, many things were. The Inquisition and Imperium in general both usually ran like a well oiled machine, but when the systems in place encountered abnormalities or miscommunication, such efficiency could be taxed greatly in the effort it took to get back on track. She was never one to appreciate being caught in the middle of lapses such as these.
By now, Hector had just begun to leaf through the folder that Nachtigal had slid in front him. It was a compilation of all of the information that had thus far been recorded regarding the first murder scene in this series of unfortunate events. Contained within were written notes about the scene itself, photographs, witness accounts, autopsy reports, investigative suppositions and so on and so forth.
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Aidolon Speech
"Kathalan"
"Vallenor"
"Common"
"Mythrasi"