"Create? Did I? I used to be a farmer, I think. As one gets older one gets a little forgetful. You know, the people are very nice to me here. Have you found the same?"

The voice is a monotone, the delivery flat. There is no expression in the man's face, nor in his eyes.

OOC> I am off work tomorrow to TRY to learn some lines. If I don't post again before 6 tonight have a good weekend y'all!

Ford blinks, looking at the "Keeper".

He whispers to the others. "This is supposed to be the great and evil sorceror? He just seems like a senile old man."

Lisette whispers back: "But he may just be pretending to be harmless. After all, if he acted like a 'great and evil sorcerer', there'd be no chance of us getting him out. Lurel, isn't it odd even for someone senile to have no feelings? And Ford...would you try talking about farming with him?"

Lisette says "If a name is needed, you may call me Joutres."

The man smiles with his lips. "Senile? I don't think so. Was there something specific you wanted to know?'

The words are completely devoid of expression, almost robotic.

There is nothing evil here or good - just nothing. What is more, Lurel's empathy attempts tell him that there never has been.

"Would you perhaps know anything about certain alien magicks and misplaced items?" asks Lisette/Joutres.

"I really don't seem to be able to recall very much. I wonder if it is something I ate. Jourtres, you say. That's where I had my farm, I think. There were er - animals - yes I'm sure there were animals. And - er - other things too. Yes, yes. I'm sure that there must have been other things."

"If you were a farmer, you were growing more than you alone needed. Were there people, maybe cities?"

"It's a long way from Jourtres," Lurel remarks conversationally. "How did you get here? And how long have you been here?"

"Er - I don't think I was meant to get questions. Is Jourtres a long way? Are there cities? I don't seem to know the answers. I have been here for some time, I think. It is pleasant here."

"Farming eh? I used to work at a farm in Dayone. What sort of things did you farm? What kind of animals?"

The man seems to be getting upset. "Well, you know, animals. It would have been animals. I expect I had cows and sheep and pigs and maybe dogs and cats. I'm sure I would have farmed cats."

'How can a man without feelings become upset?' Lurel wonders. 'Something is wrong here... either this is an act he is putting on for us - or maybe his lack of feeling is due to something the Avelyssians are doing to him, and our questioning is breaking through this. I wonder what is really going on here...'

"Cats are nice," Lurel agrees. "Do you like cats? And what about snakes? Did you farm snakes too?"

Once again he uses his empathy skill to gauge how the man is reacting to their questions, and whether the upset is genuine.

OOC: Hi all! I'm back =)

Siffli who has been listening outside, joins the rest of the party, and do not wait for Shaura to reply on Lurels question. Instead, she look straight at Shaura and say with an angry voice: "... Did you farm Avelyssians?..."

The man stares. "Farm? People? You don't farm people, child!"

Lurel again feels that the man is getting very uncomfortable with the questions but he is not hiding anything. He is telling you what he knows.

Lurel nods.

"Did you ever breed new strains of animal on your farm?" he asks innocently.

'What is going on here? Has this man repressed all the memories of his former life, or is it indeed something the Avelyssians are doing to keep him caged? Of course.. without his memories he won't have thoughts of escape.. and if he still has power, he won't know how to use it. I wonder.. is it safe for us to continue questioning him?'

"I don't know. I really don't know. Why are you asking me all these questions of a time long since past? All I want is to be left to sit here in peace and quiet. If you were here just to chat it would be nice to have company. But all these questions are confusing me! It's not as if I were a criminal or anything!"

"Oh, I'm just curious why you left Jourtres and your farm," Lurel says as innocently as possible. "Avelyssia is just so... different from anywhere else I've been. What made you come here? Not that this isn't a nice room," Lurel adds hastily, gesturing at their surroundings. "It's very nicely furnished - did you decorate it yourself? It's very unusual, too for Avelyssia, from what I've seen.."


'He doesn't remember his past at all, it seems..... but whose doing is it? His, or theirs? If only I had a chance to speak to Siffli about this before we continue talking to him!'

The man chatters happily about the room and it's furnishings. He says nothing about Jourtres. On the question of how long he has been in Avelyssia he says.

"A long time. I'm sure it must have been a long time."

"I imagine you must be working on some very special project, if you have been here for such a long time," Lurel says with a smile. "The Avelyssians brought me and my friends here to do a job for them, and now we're just enjoying the sights. What is it that you do here?"

The 'evil sorcerer' who has so often spat his venomous insults at the Princess Siffli says. "Oh, I don't do anything. I have retired from farming. I sit and - er - well I eat when they bring food and I sleep sometimes. What about all of you?"

He asks this in the same monotonous disinterested voice as though he were asking a question that he was expected to ask.

He glances at each of you in turn. There is no recognition of anyone there.

Midge also confirms surreptitiously that there is no danger or threat.

"I'm beginning to think there's no point in questioning this man, however..."
Lisette addresses Shaura: "Were you ever an evil sorcerer?"

OOC: May as well try being direct

"Me? Evil? Why would they give me these lovely rooms to live in and bring me food and drink? Why would they leave me in peace. Don't be silly! As for being a sorcerer, you are sadly misinformed. You must have mistaken me for another. I have no magical ability."

Lurel can sense no magic about him either.

Siffli stares in disbelife.

What is this? He is making something up, he has allways been extremely unfriendly... This is strange...

Midge, in his callow impatience, butts in with a whisper.
"I think it's clear we won't be getting any direct answers here,"

"Tell me Shaura, what do you do for fun around here?
Do you draw, think, write?"

"Fun? Er well. I don't think she ever mentioned fun. I'm not sure what to answer. I do sometimes write silly little poems but nobody reads them. I was never a one for drawing."

Shaura passes over a piece of paper on which various incomprehensible lines have been scrawled.

"Don't be too rude, I wasn't taught, you know!"

"You don't think she ever mentioned fun? Who's 'she'?"

Now we might be getting somewhere, this reeks of brainlaundering.

Shaura stares at you. "Anima of course, didn't she send you?"

Lurel is trying not to let his surprise show.

"Anima? Well, someone did mention you to us - it may well have been her. Does Anima come to visit you? What do you talk about with her?"

There is a hiatus during which Shaura appears to freeze. When he 'returns' something in his eyes indicates total confusion. "But she brought me here, she is the one who has told me all about the past. I did not know anything about it until I came here. She could not tell me everything of course. Perhaps she did not know. To be honest I don't remember anything from before she brought me back here a little while ago. She is the one who told me I have been here for a long time. I can't remember anything. It is as if I didn't exist before."

The delivery is punctuated by odd pauses when it is as if Shaura was simply disconnected from reality.

"You said she brought you back here a little while ago?" Lurel asks. "Did you go somewhere else for a while, then? Maybe you went to visit someone? There must be lots of interesting places here on Avelyssia, after all."

"I remember nothing before I was here. Nothing!! Anima says she brought me here but I do not know where from. Whay do you keep asking? What is it that you think I've done?"

"Well," Lurel says soothingly, " you see, Anima has been giving us the odd message and clue to help us. So if it was Anima who told us about you, then maybe she's left a message or clue for us here, too, and we're just asking the wrong questions. So maybe if you just tell us whatever you can think of, the message is in there somewhere?"

He sighs. "I don't suppose Anima mentioned anything to you that you should tell visitors?"

"I'm sorry I can't help. I don't think she thought there would be visitors. When she brought me here she more concerned with getting the other one away."

"The other one?" Lurel asks. "You haven't mentioned another one before! Who was he - or she? Can you tell us something about this 'other one'? And why was Anima so concerned about getting him or her away?"

"Well I don't KNOW who he was, as Anima didn't introduce us but I assume it was my twin brother. He looked just like me. We were even wearing the same clothes."

Ford blinks. He whispers to Lurel.

"This one was swapped for the real Shaura then? It would explain why he's acting so strangely..."

Lurel whispers back: "Do you remember that construct thingy in Anima's house? Maybe this Shaura here is just a means of getting in touch with the real one?"

To Shaura, Lurel says: "A twin? That's interesting. Did she say where she was taking him?"

"Siffli, I think you had better call the Council, or whatever the group we met with was. This is something they must be told of, quickly."

Lisette shakes her head. "It seems that the Avelyssians weren't the only ones using us."

Shaura shakes his head. "I don't think it can have been very far. I remember him saying he had to stay within the ward. I am not sure what ward but she answered that it was within three buildings of here and he would be safe. Is he the one you wanted? To tell the truth he sounded a rather angry person."

OOC> To save you time (visiting Strigid to see his 'map') there are twenty five buildings in the relevant radius. Eight are colonies (Alcidians, Ciclidians, Frigillidians, Picidians, Procellarians, Ramphastidians, Sturnidians and Turdidians) each has its own necropolis. There are 9 'cathedrals' - Armoury, Court, Gondola Servicing, Great Market, 'Haunted', Museum, Palace, Theatre and Warehouse. You may use this in your deliberations. I'm away tomorrow (Thursday learning lines, back Friday).

"If they are only going to one building, it likely is NOT a colony. And I doubt that they would go to Gondola Servicing, Great Market, or Theatre..." Lisette ponders. "Is it possible that he could take the ward with him, and remain safe?"

"Hmm..." Lurel ponders. "Perhaps it is your twin we were meant to see - you see, we were told that the one we were to speak to is a rather angry person. But I wonder why the Princess brought us here?"

He looks at Siffli questioningly.

"But it was nice talking to you, anyway," he smiles at the man. "Tell, me - what do you think of the food around here?" He gives Shaura a conspiratorial grin.

"I suppose we should probably go and see your twin - though I don't think we'll be having as good a conversation with him!"

To Lisette, he murmurs: "Museum or Haunted sound intriguing - though perhaps the Princess may be able to shed some light on this? And perhaps we ought to see her father, who seems to have been the target of whoever is trying to wreak havoc here?"

"I didn't know about this... Moved?"...
"I think Shaura is making this up" Siffli whisper to Lurel

"Well, the 'Haunted' Cathedral is an empty building. It is considered a dare by young Avelyssians to spend a night there. ", Siffli says, "I have done that to, but nothing happened, and nothing has ever happened there as far as I know".

"The museum is just an ordinary museum, nothing special".

OOC> It's just 8 posts left to 1000

"Why is it called 'haunted'?" Lurel asks. "What's the story behind it - a ghost? And for how long has it been haunted?"


He thinks about it. "I don't know, but giving something a reputation of being haunted seems like a good way to disguise odd things about it... anything strange that happens there will just be ascribed to the ghost or whatever, or even explained away as being something imagined, not real."


He looks at the others. "So, unless we can get an audience at the palace, maybe 'haunted' might be a good place to start?"

OOC> I think I mentioned ages ago that the king can't even recognise his own daughter. If I didn't, forgive me. You can request an audience with any member of the 'key' committee (Cro-chuff, Eghlette, Strigid and Archivist) if you wish. When you confirm where you wish to go I will move you there.

Ford nods.

"I agree... a place called 'Haunted' would seem the obvious place to go... then again, it's not often the obvious that works around here. I just hope it's not actually haunted."

He grins nervously.

Lurel looks around.

"So, does anyone have any other suggestions? If not, 'Haunted' it is."

"We should investigate the Haunted Cathedral. If nothing is to be found, then request an audience."

The usual silent ride over nothing takes you to the 'Haunted' Cathedral. A number of tired looking and youngish Avelyssians are just coming out. You overhear part of their conversation.

"...told you there was nothing there."

"So why did you scream in the middle of the night."

"Because you blew the torches out you..."

The following words mean nothing to you but you can guess the sense.

"...and I thought I heard something go bump in the night!"

You enter the building. It is hugely long and tall but comparatively narrow. There are no windows, making it very dark as you move away from the doors. High on the walls a passageway links staircases that lead to the floor and to the towers. The standard design has no side rooms off the passageway although not every design is identical. There may be rooms in the towers but sounds from such rooms would not be audible in the cathedral proper.

"Well, which way now? If there's anything here, it won't be where Avelyssians camp out..."

Lurel turns to Siffli.

"Princess, didn't you say that you've spent a night here before for a dare? What would you suggest we do?"

While waiting for her answer, he gnaws his lip. "I suppose we could explore the towers while we wait for nightfall, or whenever the haunting manifests itself."