Just a Harmless Little Heist....

[ You might want to bring in these Clyde and Siegfried fellows. ]

"I believe it to be the work of a minor dark deity, one we've not seen before." The scholar's hands sketched patterns into the air as he talked, literally tracing pictures in faintly glowing lines in midair, which faded after a few moments. "The clerics of Hextor, the Dark Knight, have been active, but these patterns don't fit his goals or his powers. I believe he has found or created a new god."

[Oh realleh? Hrm... I may...]

"Created a new god?" Alistair gave a skeptical look. "Doubtful. Gods cannot be created. Perhaps found, but not created."

"Many gods began as mortal men. Acquire enough power, and that power lets you unlock more power, and one may eventually gain enough power to be called a god." The scholar kept sketching as he walked. "There was a disturbance on the Prison Plane of Carceri a few years back, as though something powerful had escaped. That's when all this started."

[ Clyde; 18yrs, 5'10", straight light brown hair, but it's currently dyed dark scarlet, brown eyes, rather gangley, wears jeans, a long sleeved shirt, and sneakers.
Siegfried; 21yrs, 6'4", dark brown curly hair, brown eyes, wears jeans, a long sleeved shirt, leather armor, and boots.

I'll throw them in in a mo'. ]

"I see." Alistair said no more, but didn't pretend to be convinced either.

Dark magician, god, these people probably had the two mixed up. Brandice quickened her pace enough to speak to the scholar. "You think he's here?"

"His agents, certainly. A few advisors to high-ranking officials who whisper darkness in their ears. They incite chaos, I just can't figure out why!" His sketching grew more agitated. "But whatever his endgame, it's big, and it's soon. Summoning activity has something to do with it, that's the biggest shift his plans have caused."

"Summoning activity?" Brandice echoed.

"Abyssal creatures, Celestial creatures, magical creatures, anything that dwells on another plane of existence. The upheavals have incited panic, and panicked people turn to higher powers."

Brandice nodded, frowning and resuming her former silence.

"Well, that sounds bad."

Brandice nearly jumped out of her skin as Siegfried materialized from the forest, Clyde close behind with that quietly amused grin of his. Brandice huffed. "What are you two doing here?"

The scholar turned on them, examining. "The barriers between planes must be weakening. Things fall through."

"Very likely." Siegfried held out his hand to the scholar. "I'm Siegfried. Your name, sir?"

"Darnath." He shook Siegfried's hand. "Good, good, more people, more strength," he muttered as he started heading out of the forest again.

Clyde fell in alongside Brandice, giving the others in the group a friendly smile as he did so, before taking up talking to her about the current and possible future happenings.

Siegfried strode next to Darnath. "You mentioned a 'Hextor, Dark Knight' earlier. Who is he, precisely?"

"You don't know of Hextor? Not surprising, I suppose, for non-evil, non-scholars." He started sketching again. "Hextor is the half-brother of Heironious, god of valor. They are equal opposites of knighthood, one dark, one light. And lately, Hextor's worshippers have been far more active than usual."

Siegfried nodded and motioned to Darnath's sketching. "What is that? Why do you do that?"

"What is what?" He noticed his hands and stopped. "Habit. My assistants and colleagues and I developed a magical shorthand, and when we discuss matters of importance, we use the gestures to add further clarity."

"Ah, I see." Siegfried shook his head. "No reason to apologize, I simply wondered. How far to your town?"

"Just over this hill." He points and climbs the hill, pointing to the decent-sized down below.

Siegfried nodded. "Very nice. How do they behave to strangers, magicians in particular?"

"Oh, fine, fine. If you're nice, they're nice." He made a small dancing light above his hand. "The children enjoy the pretty lights."

Siegfried chuckled. "I shall remember that."

The others fell in around them on the hill, looking down at the town.

He led them down into the town, through the gates. "Do any of you have experience as a scholar? Reading old books and gathering information?"

"Of course," Siegfried answered. "We magicians pride ourselves on research. Knowledge is power, after all. I love old books." He motioned to Clyde. "Clyde here loves astronomy." He paused, glancing at the others and realizing he'd been virtually ignoring them. "My apologies for not properly addressing you. Do you have anything to add?"

Kajaise gave him a flat look before shrugging. "I also enjoy reading old books." The others offered no response.

"Good, good, then maybe you'll see the pattern I see." He opened a decent-sized inner city home, leading them into a house filled with books, wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling, with scrolls and papers covering every table.

Brandice's jaw dropped as they entered, amazed at the sheer amount of books and papers. Clyde thumbed through a few of them curiously, and Kajaise slipped to a table to look at some of the titles, but without touching.

"Is this your dwelling place?" Siegfried inquired, as impressed as the others by the scrolls.

He nodded distractedly, shoving aside a few scrolls and pulling out a stack of parchment. "Look, look." He pointed out the patterns he'd found, a growing spiral of conflicts and chaos, spreading across the land.