Over the next ten days, Lord Wavethunder does his meticulous best to slot you and your party into his department. He is more than just the Master of the Royal Guard, despite all appearances. He is also the Head of Althiem's intelligence and counterintelligence agencies, collectively known as the Department. This becomes clear to you over those same ten days as He seeks to learn all he elvishly can about you and your party. There are multiple interviews that you know about, and more than a few times you feel something brush against your mind during them. Aflia, Talae, and Little Bird all go through the same process. And despite all pretenses of being honored guests, you know the guards outside your quarters are there to keep an eye on you. I can't bring myself to blame Lord Wavethunder for his decisions. This snake-cult did just snatch his Princesses at least. So he does have to make sure that none of us are part of that same cult on a mission of our own. The by-now familiar knock on your door drags your attention back to the present. You get up and follow the guard down the stairs and across the courtyard to Lord Wavethunder's office. The Lord himself is present, of course, but also present is a young spellcaster in grey robes with a ebony-grey gem about their neck.

After you take your seat and the guard vanishes out the door, Lord Wavethunder get right to the point. "Alright, everything I've been able to verify about you has come up perfectly clean. Same goes for every member of your party. Before you ask 'what's the problem?', I'll answer that question for you. It's too clean, too good to be true. I work Intelligence. That means spy stuff, and spy stuff is never this clean. It's sloppy, it's messy, it's gut instincts and half-glimpsed truths. Unless someone makes an effort to make it this clean."

"You think we're working for someone else then?"

Lord Wavethunder nods,"either that or you are that clean. Your friends are indeed that clean, but every time we tried to verify what happened before you arrived in Chedal via mind-spell, we hit a black wall. Specifically, five days before you got to Chedal."

You blink slowly. "Would my death and resurrection about that time mess up your spells?"

Lord Wavethunder purses his lips, then looks to the mage. The mage grasps his gem, thinking it over. "Yes, it would. A technical issue, actually. The mind-probe can only inspect 'events from the subject's current life.' As most beings tend to stay dead, this isn't usually a problem."

Lord Wavethunder frowns, "Is there any way around this limitation?"

The mage shrugs. "You know as well as I do Lord. Mind-Rip and Mind-Merge can do what you ask, but the first is... destructive, and the second requires consent."

You raise an eyebrow. "I'm guessing Mind-Rip would tear information right out, leaving tatters behind, while I would have to let you in for Mind-Merge to work?"

The mage cocks an eyebrow. "You speak Primordial?"

You shrug, "In Sapphire we called it Oldtongue, or The Language of Witch. I know some, from fishing for and with Lady SiDabolo. Stuck with me, for some reason."

Lord Wavethunders eyes go wide. "Lady SiDabolo? She still lives?"

"Same old tower atop the white cliffs that's been there as long as any human can remember. Lonely out there, but I'd work her fishing-crew and listen to her sing. Not many would, there was something about her. Got becalmed one day and asked her to teach me some of her songs to pass the time. She did one better, I guess.

Lord Wavethunder looks a tad perturbed. "That will be all for today Aris. I'll talk to you again tomorrow."

"As you say Lord." Wonder what's got his hair in a twist?

Status Report:

Money: 5 Gold coins

Food and water: 10 days of hardtack rations

Equipment: in good condition

The Ring: obsidian band with one carbuncle gem and two empty settings

Total Deaths: 1