The private notes of Countess Alma de Béziers

These are the private notes of Sister Alma, Countess de Béziers. They'll serve as my (User:BalthCat) workspace for recording and annotating research. Google Docs is great, but there's no table of contents like MediaWiki!

Object reading

Noira Langevin's necklace

See #Collected notes on Noira Langevin's necklace.

Phedre Lozada-Boyne (button)

The owner is a human female, 42 years old, of House Cat. Her alignment is unknown. The button was purchased, and then stolen by a lover. The owner is presumed Phedre Lozada-Boyne; the lover is presumed Sanadhil Orecalo. (Previous owner was TN. Of no known importance.)

Earric Boyne (cufflink)

The owner is a sexless succubus, 3023 years old, of no House. Its alignment is unknown. The cufflink was given by a lover and stolen by a lover. The owner is presumed Earric Boyne; the previous owner, a lover, is unknown and of no known importance (though human), while the lover who stole the cufflink is presumed Sanadhil Orecalo.

Dessa Underdown's heirloom

See also #Collected notes on Dessa Underdown's heirloom

Lora (apron?)

See also Lora

The owner is Seventh, and a mere year old. Additionally: no House, received the apron from her employer and maintains ownership of it.

Cornelia Nash (letter)

Presuming the current owner to be Seth Argo, the previous owner was a human female of age 65, and a member of House Cat. While such a mundane result for Nash seems strange, there is no real indication this item was not in fact Nash's, or that this information is hidden via a spell such as Misdirection. Her character was obscured, presumably by magic, similarly to Phedre and Earric. Nondetection?

Collected notes on Noira Langevin's necklace

See also Noira Langevin's necklace

A valuable sapphire necklace was reported stolen by Noira Langevin during the Festival Days of 2195. The guards questioned Maze Olivier and his sister Jess in connection with the theft, and later recovered the necklace. They returned it to the address they had been given and delivered it to a young woman there. The house may have been a drop-point for Nouel Izaguirre's criminal syndicate, and the group later came to suspect that the "theft" was deliberately orchestrated by Noira in order to deliver the necklace to Izaguirre.

At some point, the necklace evidently passed into the hands of Tatiane Corriveau, who was rumoured to be one of Izaguirre's mistresses. In 2247, her grand-daughter Ninon de Quercy approached Medan Conquaine about selling the necklace. He consulted with Alma de Béziers and Altheo Renaud over the issue, and they both examined the necklace. Altheo detected great evil, and Alma observed that it radiated very powerful magic. Medan purchased it and it was taken to the Antiquarian Society for further study. Vianca Belden examined it, and also asked Reverend Mother Mayne to divine on the matter. Before their studies concluded, however, the necklace was stolen from the society by two men, one a spellcaster. Tiphaigne Deverara was injured in the course of the theft.

It is believed that the necklace contained the Wyrm released the night Emperor Marl was chosen by the Great Council, and that when it was brought within the range of the Disenchanter's Stone at the election, the spells that bound the creature within it were broken. The remains of the necklace have not been located, and it may have been destroyed in the fire that consumed the Hall of Worthies.

Object reading

• Owner: The owner (Tatiane Corriveau?) is the grandmother of the woman trying to sell it, Ninon de Quercy. It was given to her by a lover
• Owner-1: Her lover acquired it as a payment for murder. (Nouel Izaguirre?)
• Owner-2: The previous owner acquired it from her father (Marcau Langevin?), but had it stolen.

Notes: The interim thief is not considered an owner. There is no indication that ~Noira was aware it would be given to the next owner, ~Nouel.

Divinations (Annotated)

• From Vianca Belden's Legend Lore: "The soul-eater's (Serpent, as per Arch plane) servant (Kavreshar), bound against its will by a blessing under flames (Adrius Blessing?), is confined within the stone of [black hope (likely a reference to the Duke of Blackhope)."
• From Reverend Mother Mayne's divination: "The star-crossed (the order?) seek the key to the serpent's prison, while unknowing silence (Disenchanter's Stone? or something else?) opens the door."

Collected notes on Dessa Underdown's heirloom

See also Dessa Underdown's heirloom

Object reading

My recent examinations revealed the following:

• A human male (54, TN) of House Wolf had the locket made, and gave it to his daughter.

Note: A previous reading indicated the first owner above was 70, and gave it to a lover, and suggested the lover was the third owner, who died at 70.

• His daughter (human, female, 15, TN, Wolf) had the locket stolen by her foster-sister.
• Her foster-sister (human, female, 70, CG, Wolf) bequeathed it to her grand-daughter, Dessa Underdown
• Dessa Underdown (human, female, 15, CG, Wolf) left it in Ysabeau's care before her murder.

Dessa Underdown

Murienne's friend. Etc.

Notes

The "Lord Grey", Maze Olivier, seems eager to embrace the idea that this was once Althea Deverara's locket, though was not terribly forthcoming as to why this made sense.

Matriarch Pasith Belden

Reverend Mother Mayne's Commune

• Is the soul of Pasith Belden in the Void? No.
• Is the soul of Pasith Belden in the Centre? Yes.
• Is the soul of Pasith Belden within the Arch? Yes.
• Is her soul divided between these two states? Yes.
• Will Pasith Belden's soul someday be reborn as a Seventh? Unknown.
• Is this division of her soul preventing her rebirth? Yes.
• Can her soul to be reunited? Yes.
• Is this division of her soul against the gods' will? No.
• Will Rab ever be reunited with Pasith Belden or her reborn self? Unknown.
• If the physical Arch was destroyed, would Pasith Belden's soul be released? No.
• If the entity known as the Serpent was trapped once more within the Arch, would Pasith Belden's soul be released? No.
• If the entity known as the Serpent was destroyed, would Pasith Belden's soul be released? Yes.

Notes

If her soul is not proceeding through the cycle properly, would a resurrection be out of the question?

Outsiders amongst us

• Earric Boyne (succubus), husband of Phedre Lozada-Boyne. See object reading notes.

Ysabeau Chanuier's source

According to Ysabeau Chanuier's source, the following are disguised outsiders:

• Temair Metivier (glabrezu), the Lord Admiral
• Madelen Levernois (succubus), mistress to Reverend MotherEsmena vak Andras and employee of the Jewel Box known as 'Diamond'
• Maryse Rouillard (succubus), a musician at court and mistress to one of the gentlemen of the privy chamber, Patric Arguelles.

Perhaps if Ysabeau cannot learn more about her, I could arrange something with young Mr. Arguelles.

• Evalier Moncaire, personal secretary to the Chief Sorceror.

While the following are "planetouched":

• Butler Belden, Lord Marshal of the Order of the Spoke
• Cornelia Nash, the Warlord
• Theonée Deverara, the Chancellor.

Interestingly, True Seeing would not necessarily reveal an entity is "planetouched", so it remains to be seen whether that ability alone would reveal this fact. Perhaps the source has other methods.

The annotated Codex Lunaticium

Excerpts from the Codex Lunaticium

"O Watcher (Cornelia? Serpent? see Talith) of the Forbidden Entrance (Arch?), why must I enter naked? And the Watcher answered Thus it is, the Covenant of old, set down before time began, so that the mark may be seen if you are Chosen. (as emperor?)" - v. 2, Amaspia

"I have found the Gate (Arch?) that leads to the Outside (outer planes? arch plane?), by which the Watcher (Cornelia? Serpent? see below), who guards the entrance to our world, keeps eternal vigil. I have felt the presence of that Ancient One (Serpent? see above) whose name is written in the forbidden texts, the testament of a dead civilization whose priests, seeking power, swung open the dread gate and were consumed. (Am?) My fate is no longer written in the stars. (pulled from the cycle?)" - v. 3, Talith

"'Follow me,' (he will say) (the Watcher?); he will lead you to the dark chamber, the abode below the ground; The abode (under-Arch) which none leave unchanged who have entered into it. A road from which there is no return; A House whose dwellers are bereft of light, where dust is in their mouths and clay is their food. (Arch plane?) O keeper of the door, I have brought my offerings; grant that I may bear the mark." - v. 5, Maferan

"Watcher of the Gate, remember! Open the door that I may enter! Open lest I attack the door, break apart its bars, attack the seal (???) itself! Open the door! Open wide the Gate for my return, lest I cause the dead to rise! I will raise up the dead! I will cause the dead to rise and devour the living!" - v. 6, Zaalia

"The Gods forget. They are distant. They must be reminded. If they are not watchful, if the gatekeepers do not watch the gates, if the gates are not kept always locked, bolted and barred, then the One (Serpent?) who is always ready will enter and bring with him the hordes of the demon armies." - v. 11, Terese

"Beyond the pool (???) I see a set of stairs. Placed beneath the Arch, it falls down into the dank earth. My thirst and the heat compel me to enter. Nothing moves except the buzzing flies and the red clouds above. Darkness confronts me, but still I enter, seeking the coolness of the underground. Hiding myself from that awful red sky. On and on I walk. It is a good thing there is no hunger in this place, for surely I am years now away from my quiet home. Even the thirst I felt above has faded to nothing. Except for the flies outside, I have seen nothing alive, not even one rat in this entire sewer, until the boy (???)." - v. 19, Nuallan

"Night! You'd please me even more without these stars which speak a language I know all too well. I long for darkness, silence, nothing there. Yet even shadows have their shapes, the hordes of vanished souls whose eyes acknowledge mine. Whether spawned by the Void or sprung from the stars, Fate like a spaniel follows at your heel, child; you sow haphazard fortune and despair, ruling all things, responsible for none. (???)" - v. 24, Ythan