The Eye

[Taelian]

71st of Glade, Year 120

"Taelian," she began. The woman clasped her hands before her - as she often did - and lowered her head, averting her eyes to the soil. Then, shortly afterwards, she peered towards him and breathed a soft sigh. "You are not doing well."

"In terms of?" he questioned. Though, he felt that he knew.

"Your progress in Lord Iulide's court, of course. You, as a courtier... you are, a vase quietly rested upon a table; an accent of the court, little recognized, little cared for. The Finla has scarcely noticed you -- and from what I've heard, his perspective on you is entirely neutral. That is an issue, young one."

"Eloise -- I can't even speak Kokalath. How do you expect me to ascend through the court when I have no idea what anyone is saying? When merely opening my mouth and speaking Common or Silvain is seen as wildly offensive?"

"That must change, yes," she said, nodding her head softly. "In the meantime however, you will need to learn to work from behind the scenes. Do you remember the things I've told you of intelligence, or the art of spying, information gathering, constructing networks of knowledge? You must learn how to plant your root into Loregard. It will take some time before you are skilled enough in Kokalath to speak eloquently in court, yes. But from now until that moment is realized, we cannot afford to stagnate. You need to build your network. In that regard, your unique circumstances may even benefit you."

"How so?" he asked.

"Much of the art of spying is the spies themselves. And their collective eye -- the foundry of their acquired knowledge -- is the spymaster. You keep them focused, provide them their tasks, and so on. Perhaps the best spymaster in our world is Von Rabe, the White Vulture of Lorien. A spirit of immeasurable power, all the Kindred are his spies, and even the birds of his realm watch and whisper. They are committed to him - to serving him, to providing him knowledge. To rooting out betrayal and secrets. His network is large, skilled, and inconspicuous. For this reason he has managed to control the politics of one of the world's most powerful nations. Even the Clockwork Empire could not fell them -- but he has come near to it."

Taelian blinked. He sounded... terrifying, though he had heard of the creature already. He was spoken of with revilement in Daravin; a devil, a seducer, a demon prowling and waiting to corrupt. If there was any one antithesis of Ulen in their mind, it was Von Rabe, perhaps partnered with the Elven Gods.

"What purpose will these spies serve me? Is it my intention to undermine Finla Iulide's court?"

"No," the Umpire replied. "Rather than undermining it, it is wise that you master it, wrest control. Gain the upper-hand against his most favored of courtiers; reveal their vulnerabilities if necessary, outdo them. With information, bind them to your will, through blackmail or exposure. The process begins with acquiring your eyes, as we'll call them. There are a few ways of doing so -- often, people work on lines of race or ideology, or kindness; perhaps by recruiting the young, the orphaned, and so forth you may be able to work them into your network. However, you are at a disadvantage in one respect: the young and orphaned of Atinaw will obviously speak only the mother tongue. You'll need to broaden your view."

"How then?"

"Siltori. Particularly those who are refugees from Sil-Elaine. Remember: there are likely hundreds in Loregard at the least. If you provide them food and some form of lodging, you'll be astounded at the things people might do in exchange. And Taelian -- especially those that believe in you. You are genuine in your desire to see Sil-Elaine liberated; you are a decorated Ebon Knight, a warrior whose interest in politics is merely for the sake of liberating his kind. You will be admired by them, and likely they will serve you with fulfillment and belief. You will, however, need to train these spies as you acquire them. And in order to do so, you will need to learn how to be an excellent spy yourself."

[Taelian]

As Eloise informed him, there were a few key components fundamental to the art of intelligence. To begin with, there was obviously stealth; the ability to conceal one's presence. This was fundamental to eavesdropping, and it did not solely involve crouching and hiding. Sometimes, the art of stealth was the art of remaining inconspicuous, which was something Taelian would unfortunately find himself unable to do. He would need others to learn how to blend and appear normal in his stead. There was larceny, for lockpicking, pickpocketing, learning to infiltrate locations and acquire information. Then, there was potentially the art of coded messages and hidden secrets; cryptography, for example. And of course, there were other skills fundamental to the playing of a role: learning to deceive others, learning to put on an act, learning to disguise or deliberately construct one's appearance.

To be a truly masterful spy, one needed to learn the art of stealing, of lying, of acting, of concealing, of coding. Taelian would need to be the model of these things himself -- and from his vague understanding of this fact, he found himself incredibly intimidated. He wondered how one man could really be a master of so many things, particularly when juggling court life and learning magics. But as Eloise had told him many times, she told him again:

"Let magic be your guide." A platitude, it always sounded at first. But she elaborated. "Why learn to expertly hide when you can cling from a branch as a bird? Why bother with deception when you can use Mesmer to manipulate someone into telling you all? Why bother with learning to pick a lock when you can force the lock open with Kinetics? We have power -- and we have advantages. We are not only strong, we are superior. Portals will be another excellent tool for you. You may observe from afar with them, and in Atinaw there is too vague an understanding of the arcane. Concealed well, a Mirror can do much of the work that a stealthy observation cannot. As a mage, you act as the key and guardian to your spies. And that leads me to my final point of what our power is as mages - as Kingmakers, like I told you before."

She cleared her throat. "We have the ability to eliminate threats to us. The art of spying, for you, will assist you in deciphering what and who those threats are. Then, with Transposition, you may discreetly stalk and kill them. Of course, we must use these powers cautiously and in a measured way, and in a way that does not tie back to us; people will know we are mages. We do not want magic to be the obvious killer. But that is an advantage that you have over even myself -- you are incredible with a blade. You can observe people, stalk them, determine their motives, evaluate their threat and then eliminate them discreetly with steel when you uncover things they wish you had not. Remember the power of magic. A Thespian is careful to leverage it, but they leverage it all the same."

[Taelian]

Taelian nodded. He was... surprised that she had given him consent to murder Atinorin courtiers who he evaluated as a threat against him, but he supposed it was all in the game. His goal was to effectively become the silent voice that whispered into the louder one, steering Loregard's future and politics with his whispers. It would not be particularly easy, weaving his way into a court that he knew little of, and still he would remain at an incredible disadvantage without Kokalath at his disposal. But she had at least given him a start -- building his network was of importance. And these skills would assist him beyond just the court of Loregard, but against the Dranoch, and the Court of Dusk.

Taelian exhaled through his nostrils. There was much to do, though at the back of his mind he still wondered the point. He wasn't particularly interested in Loregard or its future -- only the power associated with the role, though he worried that the power gained would fail to suffice. Surely the leader of this Clandom was as powerful as any Courtier of Dusk, but how could he ever convince them to bargain their troops away to the cold, dilapidated harbors of Sil-Elaine, or the murky swamps filled with blighted air?

He wondered if -- perhaps -- this role was merely a shot at becoming Thespian. At influencing the Covenant to help slay the mendacious blood-leeches that ruled Old Silor's east. He would play Eloise's game, but he wondered if he could not master it for his purposes. Taelian felt that there had to be a way; there were possibilities that lied beyond what was just presented to him. And it was time to consider where all of this would lead -- and how he would lead it towards the outcome he wanted.

"Okay," he simply told her, in a soft tone of voice. "I'll gather my spies, and learn to spy myself. But Eloise -- remember, I am not a politician at heart. These are not the games that I like to play. I only hope that--"

"I know, Taelian," she interjected. The woman softly smiled. "That is why we chose Loregard for you. Violence is seeped into its foundations. The politics here are the politics of strength, beyond just secrecy and knowledge. Here, among all places, you will do well."

[Etro]

♅ The Eye ♅

XP:

• 5 xp

Pieces of knowledge:

• Spycraft: Spies
  Spycraft: Spymasters
  Spycraft: Training a spy
  Spycraft: Recruiting on ideology and principles
  Spycraft: Eliminating threats
  Spycraft: A network of blackmail

Comments:

• This was a good read and a great look into what makes a good spy, so listen to Eloise as she knows best. I enjoyed the dialogue in this very much and it gives a little insight into Atinaw politics. Thank you for that and enjoy your rewards