The Case Files of Nekoi Seta, Magi P.I.

[Nekoi]

WIP

Found notes:

25 Feb
"While visiting the cart again on closer inspection you notice another piece of parchment. It's half hidden beneath the cart's wheel and some of the ink has been smudged off.

"...planning my escape.
Someone must have figured out ... route.
...reaching out to all my ...
... may ...to lay low for a while."

Prompt:
26 Feb
You are heading towards the shops near the Keep when a small movement in a nearby alley catches your eye. You glance around to see if anyone else noticed but the road is empty. You think you hear a small whisper coming from the alley and with another furtive glance around you head in.

The alley is towered by nearby buildings and you are surprised how quickly it gets really dark in it. Ahead you see a flicker of light and decide to follow it.

You bump around a corner and are momentarily blinded by a sudden bright flash from a lantern. As quickly as it appeared it's gone however, and the only thing left in its place is a note firmly nailed to the wall of the nearest building.

"If you are a worthwhile customer my previous messages should have reached you, and you already know what is going on, but in case this is not so, let me bring you up to date.

Someone, somewhere, found out my route and set me up. I have reached out to my friends and enemies looking for information on who it might have been and how they managed to do this. As I have previously provided you with wares you would not have been able to acquire otherwise, I'm now calling in that favour and require you to assist me in figuring things out. I will reward generously anyone who has any leads on the matter.

-A"

As soon as you've read the note it starts to smoke and soon vanishes up in flames, leaving only a charred shape resembling a snake on the wood underneath it.

Comments overheard from a conversation between Talyn and Faleep (in The Atrium) on 26 Feb:

"Why was there a cobra slithering through my room? I had nothin' to do with anything Alethin did! Or didn't do! We haven't even talked since that time in Alveus!"

Faleep: "Oh? Didn’t know you knew Alethin too. What happened In Alveus, something crazy? Something... lovely?"

Talyn: "Lovely? No way! Alethin led me into Alveus and got me thrown in jail for bein' a magi!"

"I wouldn't've even noticed the snake since I'm usually out traveling, but I had just come back through Synara and heard about the weirdness. It's not really a nice homecoming to come back to a snake in your room!"

Nekoi added the following contribution to the end of a conversation following Talyn's comment,"What was I doin' in Synara? Nothing, really. But before, I've been all over! Boreus, Tetzcoatl, even over and under the oceans! Did you know there are underwater ice caverns in the ice near Boreus? Someone should really explore them! I just gotta figure out how to deal with the cold, and, you know, the no air."

Several comments by other Magi regarding the two problems Talyn mentioned, then:
Nekoi walks in having just heard the last bit of that conversation and starts thinking out loud regarding the question.

Hmmm...According to our bestiary the Glacial Koi, "...are gentle, patient animals, found in rivers or streams, though they can travel to most bodies of water.... enables the master to breathe under water for short periods of time."

So regardless of the possibility of a warmth potion, it might not work even with the glacial Koi, unless one can somehow extend the length of time for the enchantment. Or maybe those underwater ice caverns aren't that far from a breathing hole and have enough air pockets that one doesn't need a constant alternate source of air? Can the Glacial Koi even withstand the freezing temperatures of those waters? Narwhals can easily survive in those waters, as that is their preferred environment, but they don't have the magic of the koi...hmmm.....Hippocampi actually might work better...They share the magic of the koi, and since they migrate between the Arkene and the islands, one presumes they might have a greater tolerance for the extreme temperatures of the waters...plus they are big enough to ride, which means the distance of the caverns underwater shouldn't be too much of a problem or negated entirely.

But you know...that brings to mind something I recall reading once about Frost Unicorns...lessee...what was it...Ah! I remember!

Nekoi pulls out a small book and starts flipping through it excitedly.

There it is! I knew this pocket edition of the bestiary would come in handy someday, it says here, "[Frost] Unicorn eggs are among the hardest to find, hidden in glaciers miles below the surface of the northern seas."

Looking up triumphantly, Nekoi waves the book around. So you see, if these are the same caverns Talyn is talking about, all you need is a Frost Unicorn companion to help you get there. They presumably have a way to get their eggs there after all, and they are land creatures like us. And since they have control over ice and snow, they can supposedly also prevent it, which may not be a warmth potion, but could at least keep the worst of the cold away.

Smiling contentedly, and glad she was able to contribute to the conversation, Nekoi tucks her book away and walks off, determined to continue her current line of investigation regarding the whereabouts and activities of one missing shopkeeper.

Talyn's response to the topic 2 Mar:
Talyn wrote:
Hmm...Glacial koi may work. I'll have to keep thinking about it.

And for now, I gotta go dump some more weird potions Kaiden Featherstone gave me. Some sort of breeding potion that didn't work the way it should have. He's always making weird stuff. But it seems the big cobra was in there too, and Kaiden almost never leaves his lab, so he begged me to dump it...somewhere. Hopefully the big cobra doesn't get it. The last thing Alethin needs is more weird potions, right?

Found in Artificer's shop 28 Feb:
You are searching for the wares for something to buy when you notice an empty slot in the shelves. Only a single black scale lies on the floor in front of it. You ask the shopkeeper what was in the slot and they tell you it was just some old prototype, a small snake like automaton that could, under certain conditions, turn into several keys.

Found in Trading Post 28 Feb:
Oh, and don't mind those two cranky hooded figures in the corner. They keep babbling about a jet black snake slithering towards the Keep's gardens, but everybody knows black snakes only live in the South and never wander elsewhere.

The Personal Diary of Nekoi Seta, Magi P.I.

Journal Entry 19 February
It's a rather brisk day today, sun's shining but a cold wind is blowing. According to my lunar calendar, it should be about time to visit Alethin soon. My most recent clutch has finally grown up and I've got room for a few new critters. Hope he has something interesting this month. I could always use new talent in my bag of tricks for my investigations. Have a few errands to run today so may not get around to his shop til later. Don't forget to submit the paperwork and contact the clients regarding the supposed kidnapping.... parents should really pay more attention to their kids...Especially when the kids aren't kids anymore and are eloping. -_-'

Journal Entry 20 February
YES! I didn't think I was going to have anything interesting for a while, seeing how the weather is still cold enough for the usual criminals to prefer to stay indoors where it's warm, but the most interesting thing happened last night when I went to visit Alethin's shop. He was MISSING!!! And he left a most mysterious note with Adela:

"...Love Potions. Got caught.
...bet he thinks this is funny.
...knew they were illegal."

I have formed several hypotheses already, but I need more information. It was lucky I had my small print kit with me. I was able to use some phoenix ash and feathers to dust for prints around his stall and on the note itself. Unfortunately without a comparison to match them with, the prints I was able to lift are next to useless...wish I could convince the constabulary to keep fingerprint records available. My library of prints of local criminals is nowhere near complete....Note to self, check to see how the animal speech potion is coming along. Maybe I could get some more details from Adela if it finally works. She seems fairly intelligent for a Raza Cobra. No matter, I am on the case!

Journal entry 21 February
Apparently I am not the only one to have noticed that Alethin was missing. Stopped by Remy's around noon and the rumors were flying! I couldn't believe some of the stuff I was hearing. Although, I do recall thinking someone had a point regarding Remy and his attitude toward Alethin and his business...There were even several of the younger magi making plans to break Alethin out of prison...without even knowing he isn't in the local lockup (I know, because that was the first place I checked).

TO BE CONTINUED....