Back at the capital wasn't exactly Claire's idea of a fun place to be, but she couldn't sleep. And there was no better time to be sneaking around looking for interesting hints about all and sundry. Clandestine deals in the shadows often involved juicy secrets that someone who was very good and very quiet might be able to listen in on.

Claire wasn't finding much, though. But ah well. A bit of sneaking practice never hurt anyone. And while she was wandering around, something caught her eye. Just a little patch, something that she almost overlooked as she was scouring for something to do.

But, she did find it. Must be her lucky day. Nobody would leave messages like this unless there was something salacious going on.

She raised an eyebrow at the message, letting out a quiet huff of laughter. "Not particularly and no, not really," she said quietly to herself, "but this sounds like there's a story here."

Sauntering away with all the casualness that she could muster, she found her way just around the street corner. She'd make her way to the tavern eventually. Sounded like whoever wrote this note was looking for more than one person, so she'd hang around to keep an eye on things.

 

Roland was heading out of the city when he saw the encoded message, frowning he pondered what Cessia was up too. He never really had gotten a good read on the girl, in fact he had never even found out where she had come from. With her now seemingly trying to put together some sort of force, it was likely worth an investigation, if just for his own amusement. His first task would be to discover where this 'drowned mermaid' was located. He'd head up a variety of the more crowded streets of Vintergaurd looking for a sign with its name, or icon. Judging by its name, it sounded like a tavern of some sorts, an old booze hound like Roland should be able to sniff it out before to long.

 

It was the last night she ended to be here. After all. Minerva had other goals, possibilities, and honestly adventures of growth to undertake. She was not going to sit around just because she helped this Player Nation defeat it's nemesis.

Leaning against the wall and staring up at the moonlit night. It was cold but bareble. This really was a beautiful wolrd. Even with war and savage beasts. Such things were unavoidable and only led to Minerva climbing higher. Whether in sword skill or prestige. This land was not for her though. She felt called to go elsewhere. To find her own kingdom of sorts.

A small posting that just so happened to be against the wall of the building she leaned upon caught her attention. While she knew little about this Cessia person and never grew very close to Astor. It still brought a smirk to her face. For a player who defeated a 'fiendish king', he was already starting to act like one himself. Maybe Minerva was not the only one who held more ambition than she let on. Who knew what this was about. If it was not something that could be done openly?

Note

Are you loyal to the current Astorean crown and wish to be of service to his majesty? If so, seek out Cessia at the Drowned Mermaid. Recruiting good brain and brawn in service of the crown. Join the Vigil Task Force today. The password is encoded within this message.

Reading it once more. Minerva noticed what she needed to. Well it was a fine night tonight and she still had not left the Astorea capital of Vintergard. So she might as well go see what this is about. Maya always did love puzzles. They were what kept her sane in her hospitable bed. This one was a bit simple but nice to see the effort.

With a casual turn. Minerva headed off towards the place with the password in mind.

 

This is one of these nights where Corvella is dirt broke after excessively maintaining her gears. Unlike in real life, the nighttime around the capital were at least enjoyable and pretty with the starry skies and the bright moonlight. That and you also don't need place to sleep. Still, she learned her lesson learned. Consider saving up for some kind of a home property next time.

Trotting along an alley, a silvery glitter captured her attention. Corvella soon found out it was a note pinned into a wall, more like a notice. It took some effort for her to finally make out words from the paper. The King recruiting a task force? She's interested. Now she just need to find this important Cessia. Corvella had only seen her maybe two, three times after all. She stopped reading at the last line. There's a password and it's encoded in the note.

Even if the password's obvious enough, the lighting, and the state of the paper made Corvella spent a good five minutes staring into it. She frowned, realizing that she can just investigation mode to help her. "A.. s..." she began reciting letters. Looks like this is the password then. Now off to find this Drowned Mermaid.

 

Hm. Claire waited a little ways off from the note, trying her best to remain unseen. Her Incognito skill wasn't that high yet, but it dd help a little. She saw a few people wander down that street, though she hadn't noticed anyone that she knew quite well. Ah well, that was to be expected. Some people just kept on walking, while the sound of footsteps eventually slowed for others. There were a few who had seen the note as well, then.

Hmm. All right. Claire decided to depart, and headed out in search of this meeting place. There was a tavern somewhere named the Drowned Mermaid, she was quite sure. She didn't know where she'd heard the name, but it vaguely rang a bell. There'd be no problem finding it.

..Or... so she had thought. After the third time stumbling across an inn or an alehouse that was most definitely not the Drowned Mermaid, she was beginning to feel rather foolish.

Well. She'd just have to look harder, then.

 

Aalam was walking to a bar any bar he just needed a drink it had been a long couple of days in the shop, and he needed to relax. Making his way down one of the side corners that lead to a comfortable dive bar, when he saw the note. Squinting his eyes as he read in the moonlight well this was a trap, or it was a job. Well, at least he would be going to a bar if this turned out to be a trap. Throwing his hood over his head as he walked, it shouldn’t take him. He knew the location of every bar in Astorea but this one was one that he didn’t frequent, it was one that he had never heard of.

Turning on investigation mode as he walked sticking to more the side corners, he was sure of every bar on the main roads. It the same time he activated his stealth, he was still sure that this was going to turn out to be a trap. He thought that he had been able to crack the code but if the password as what he thought it was, they need to get a better coding system. However, he was sure that he wasn’t the first to find the note, for a second he did wonder who else had seen the message before setting off. There should be enough shadows about to keep himself out of sight and therefore out of mind.

 

A note, almost like a small scholastic sticky note. It was the same colour as those pale yellow sticky notes he was used to back in his Elementary school days, however Zelrius disappointed to see that it wasn't something of value left behind. He had thought that something glittering like that had been be something worth atleast a moteicom of gold, but of course his luck never turned out like that. He sighed and read it, going over it slowly cursing the writer for the random bolds and capitalization. At first, the golden haired man was willing to just dismiss it, though the weird little writing errors and the fact that the note was there tipped him off that maybe it was something more sinister. Finally, he elected to seek out this Drunken Mermaid in order to learn more, if nothing else.

That's all this was to him now, as he navigated the streets insearch of taverns, and one labelled as such, nothing but a quest to know more about something. Other than general knowledge, the swordsman had no interest in what came off to him as another faction, similar to the one he had just joined up with in Stokbon. And while more content and differing sides with differing goals certainly appealed to Zelrius, he wasn't ready to just hop ship and work for Astorea on the drop of a hat, especially not as long as that power-hungry King, Astor, was its monarch.

So information was the goal, and should he feel a threat, Zelrius elected that he'd wipe it out on his own, and if the threat deems too much for him, which in his mind most were, than he'd report it back to that aforementioned faction that he was already a part of.

It took him quite sometime but there it was, the sign labeling which Business this was, and specifically, which tavern, swaying ever so gently as people walked around and vibrated the walls and floors, mixed with the slight breeze of the night. A short breath and quick etiquette check of his clothing, followed by a tightening of the belt holding a sword to either hip, and with that, Zelrius entered, though the back of his mind continued to worry about what password the note mentioned, having not seen one...

 

Celestine wandered along the streets of Vintergard. This was always her favorite time of day - or rather - of the night: when it had just become dark and the moon was peeking over the horizon. On the other hand, it also served to highlight the fact that the game time was very different from where she’d logged on from. Disorienting, but kinda cool.

Despite the late time, the cat-eared girl was full of energy and was happily trotting down the brick road, taking in the nightlife. It was then that a little twinkle caught her eye in a dark corner. “Oo, shinies,” she remarked, closing the distance. It was a note, or maybe ‘flier’ was a better term. Celestine tilted her head several different ways, trying to angle her eyes in line with something else shiny so she could read it.

“I was not of the knowing that fish persons could do a drowning,” she pondered, confused. “Oh, but there is the secrets of password? Where is it doing the hiding?” Celestine glanced over the note several times. She bent the note up to peek underneath. Finally, after having stood there questioning the paper for what was easily ten minutes, she snapped her fingers in understanding. “Ahah! It is the strangeness of these thingies that makes the new wording. Cleverness.”

Applauding the air - both for herself and the writer of the puzzle - Celestine whirled around and looked for something like a mermaid. None to be seen. Not a sign advertising a place of business, nor a flopping fish person. She glanced back at the note in confusion. ”This place has great bigness. How am I finding this drowning fish-person? Unless the finding of the fish-person is the double of the puzzle?” Another long moment passed with her staring fruitlessly at the paper. After a while, she began to grow frustrated.

“‘Good brain.’ Are you of the implications that I is not of good brain?!” She glared back at the paper as if it was actively insulting her intelligence. “Hmph. Fine then. I will do a smart and find other persons who are of greater note understanding.”

With that said, Celestine grabbed the pin and yanked it out of the wall, along with the note. Carefully, she then ran the pointy needle through her hair, which was thick enough to hold the note in place right on her forehead. Confidently displaying this note, she took to the streets, giving everyone passing by her a very long and curious look so they had time to read the out-of-place note and hopefully point her in the right direction.

 

Noticing a suspicious note piqued Nalla's interests, and like the ears of a dog to the calling of their name, she soon became increasingly perceptive. Quickly making her way towards the object of her fascination, she dodged around a light post only noticed in her peripherals, her eyes focused upon the prize. With hands outreached towards the note, it seemed the wind swept up a moment, tearing the weak paper from it's pinned place.

"Hrm..." She gave an displeased grumble, leaping and catching the paper, before that mischievous breeze stole the fun from her evening. Yanking the pin from the wall, she placed the note back in it's previous location. With the slam of her fist against an end of the silver entity, she secured the paper once more. "Loyal... Seek out..." The girl muttered to herself. At first, she was disappointed, as the first line or two did not entice her as much as she had hoped. It was just before she was to exit the scene, with hands in her pockets, and an uninterested expression across her face, that she noticed the challenge.

"P-password encoded?" She pounced upon the paper like a lion to it's meal, keeping it's corners against the wall. Perhaps it would have been more convenient for her to have just stolen the sheet instead, but such action would have taken an extra step. Keeping the paper still from any unwarranted breezes, she pressed her fingers to her temple, entering investigation mode. The initial, familiar flicker of blue across her eyes was replaced with a harsh maroon.

"A...S...T, O, R..." She had barely noticed it upon first inspection, but upon further gatherings, she saw it more clearly. There were letters. Certain ones more misshapen than they ought to be. This finding did not take long. Perhaps she had pursued the life of a detective, in a past existence. One by one, she brought the ideas together, as though she were assembling a machine. "E... A, N... G, H... T? Astorean... Gt? No. An I!" She spoke aloud to herself. "Astoreanight! Astorea night? What is that."

Nalla proceeded to wander aimlessly, peered around for anyone who might be able to help her. Of course, strangers wouldn't do, as they were far too... Strange. Untrustworthy. But she needn't look for long, before she came upon one such familiar face!

"Oh, hey!" She called out to @Claire Thalassa, a smile upon her face... Before remembering that perhaps her own visage was no longer so familiar to the friend.

 

Observations done for the time being, Claire prepared to try and slip into the shadows to leave. She'd just quickly make her way over to the Drowned Mermaid where it seemed like things would kick off. But as she turned to leave, a rather loud call emerged from around that area near the note.

Instinctively, Claire looked back, to find a woman with purple hair looking right at her. She frowned. She thought she heard Eleanor around, but this was just a stranger. Well, no leaving now, not when there was someone right there.

"Can I help you?" she asked warily. Someone calling out to a stranger in the middle of the night probably had something they were after.

@Nalla

 

"I--" Nalla cut herself off, "Ehm..." She didn't exactly know how to respond to the situation that she had been confronted with. "There was a note, and..." The girl pointed a thumb behind her, turning with her eyes to also stare in that direction for a moment, before coming back to @Claire Thalassa, with wide eyes. In the stress of the situation, she clenched her jaw, breathing through her teeth.

The tension released with a sigh, as she reached up to pull the hair that covered her right eye out of the way. "Is there a tavern around here called the Drowned Mermaid?" It seemed to her that there would be no easy way of going about this interaction, as she stumbled through her words and ended up appearing more unsettled that one could hope.

"I'm, e-ehm, Nalla, by the way." She put out her hand, the small palm somewhat jittery. Biting her lip, her body quivered a moment with the indecent waver of an addict in need, before freezing up, her knees locked back to keep in her a stable, still stance.

 

So. This person also found the same note. Given how under the table this whole thing appeared to be, it was quite a surprise that someone would be asking outright about the contents of the message.

And, huh. That was some strange behavior that the stranger was exhibiting. She seemed unusually tense, and for no apparent reason. "Right," Claire said slowly in response to the hesitant introduction. "Well, nice to meet you, Nalla."

This person sounded remarkably like Eleanor. It was uncanny just how similar they soun- wait a minute. Waaaait a minute. Was Claire being the idiot here? She remembered, way back when she died to that disastrous mission, she was given the option of changing her appearance before returning to the game world.

"Sorry if this is confusing, but- Eleanor? Is that you?"

@Nalla

 

A high traffic area, but as always was quiet come the witching hour. There were stragglers, certainly. People having conversations in alley ways, others doing something a bit more illicit. Some just passing through and hoping not to get caught up in the dastardly deeds of others. But none of this piqued Emerath's interest quite as much as a seemingly mostly ignored note. Most would pass by, going about their business and either pretending it didn't exist, while others would walk up, read it, scratch their heads, and walk away.

A curiosity, and one that was obviously left for players of the game. The glint off the moldy paper was enough to tell Emerath that much. Though he couldn't help but wonder if it did in fact glint like that for NPCs as well. Though the fact that most of them ignored it as they went about whatever nighttime shenanigans they favored, seemed to make it not the case. And so, Emerath did as the other players did, and sauntered up to read it, scratch his head, and walk away.

But it wasn't that simple, was it? It never was with these sorts of player traps. No, this was a message, leading to a tavern, which most definitely led to a secret. It wasn't all that hard to decode in any case. Emerath noticed the bold letters immediately, and ended up reading those before he had finished the note in its entirety. "Astorea Night," he muttered to himself, as he mused over the location of this tavern mentioned in the note. He still wasn't completely familiar with the war torn capital of this country, but he had gotten to know it a bit better during the rebuilding efforts at least.

Emerath scratched his head anyway, perhaps only out of reflex, or perhaps to make it seem to any onlookers that he was just as confused by this as they might have been, before sauntering out of the alleyway on his new mission. Curiosity was a powerful thing, after all. Besides, he was bored anyway, and he had been waiting for Cessia to get back to him about the Caenis prisoner, so maybe this could grease the wheels a bit if he found her.