He'd thought that the situation would have lost its humor by now, but Renar just couldn't resist taking amusement in the inherent comedy of such a person of influence debasing himself like this. He didn't exactly have much to contribute here, not being versed in magics like Gertrude or having a connection to the fey itself like Fionn, so Renar contented himself with observing the situation for now.

The king's own court mage being here wasn't much of a surprise, considering the Duke being a member of His Majesty's line. Still, it was something to keep an eye on. Trying to make inroads with the man at the current moment was ill-advised, considering all of them were here to fulfill an actual task. Something to keep in mind for later. At the very least, Renar could take the time to see what made the man tick.

Renar stayed on the fringes of the gathering, wondering to himself for a moment. If this were him, how would he have taken advantage of the situation? There was always somebody looking to profit from a crisis like this. One only had to consider the correct angle...ah. He nodded to himself for a moment before stepping out of the hall briefly and flagging a passing servant down.

"My good man," Renar casually slipped the servant a handful of coin. "No doubt you know that we're here to investigate the duke's...condition. Tell me, does he have any political rivals or anyone who stands to benefit from the poor lord's sudden befuddlement?" He'd already ruled the son out. The man had the perfect chance to rule in his father's place by deeming him invalid, but as it stood, it seemed Thedric's child had made no moves in that regard.

"I know her well enough, and I have her name," Gertrude replied to Fionn, shrugging, "I should be able to summon her. As I said, this could be a number of things, but as the oaf has pointed out..."

Gertrude nodded towards Gerard in a way that was not overtly hostile.

"Given the area, and the duke's odd behavior besides, fey isn't an awful guess. Since we have a good way of checking it... it's not a bad idea to summon her," she said, her reluctance to acknowledge Fionn's good idea tempered by her own enthusiasm to try summoning in a bit of a new context.

She turned to the court mage, unimpressed at first because she had no idea who this guy was, but softening somewhat when she learned that she was being acknowledged by someone with prestige. A smug smile crept up on her face.

"Finally, someone who can recognize my genius. Big cheese, eh? Can't say I picked up on anything 'missing', but I've never met the guy before. Curious, that. Since he's apparently also met this 'Moonlit Queen' a while back, you have to wonder... maybe he made a deal a long time ago, and she'd recently come by to collect? Thus the 'something missing'. Both fey and demonkind are fond of taking vague or conceptual things as recompense. What was the party for? Perhaps the occasion marked something inauspicious in hindsight. Either way, I'll want a room cordoned off for my summoning. And plenty of sweets."

Gerard Segremors

@Eisenhorn@Octo

An understated lesson Cyrus had beaten into him (literally, this being more a byproduct of weathering the task than an outright communication between the two of them) was a reminder of the value inherent to recognition of small, incremental victories. "Take what you can get" was a phrase that had of course never left the "oaf's" catalogue of old standbys, but there was a difference in remembering it and truly needing to live it.

It was a nice enough surprise that Gertrude had let him off the hook with just "oaf", he supposed, but perhaps it was more downstream of him reinforcing her deductions than anything else. He doubted he'd truly earned a lot of goodwill in either case.

Regardless. They had a job to do, not interpersonal work dynamics to muse on. He stepped forward as his fellows began to fold the investigation in with that of with Court Mage Arken, gauntleted fist tapping against one of Rolan's pauldrons. Much like Renar, he too had sort of drifted away into the outskirts as things left his field of competence. Once you went into the finer details of fey magic beyond the warnings and customs a rural boy worth his salt knew by heart, things went over his head fairly quick.

"I'll tag along. With two we cover more ground, cross-reference finds, and keep an eye on eachother in the event we risk running into trouble."

Despite everything, it almost appeared as if they had a lead.

Once she'd realized that it wasn't a Shard of Angroron's doing, Fanilly had felt both thankful and uncertain. They definitely should help, but how? How were they meant to do anything, when what seemed to be the only witness was insane?

And yet, that Moonlit Queen didn't sound as if it was a part of the mad fantasy that the Duke was currently trapped in.

So that's what they had to latch onto.

"The Moonlit Queen doesn't live far away at all!" declared the Duke cheerfully, "Why, she's practically our neighbor! Ah, did you know, she was the one who told me that Lord Rozenalt had returned?! Perhaps I should don my finest helmet, in case he attacks!"

Duke Thedric proceeded to locate a nearby bucket, likely also pilfered from his servants, and place it firmly over his head.

"If you seek an audience with her, you only need to find her home!"

It was... coherent.

As if this was something from a memory. Despite placing a bucket on his head, aside from mentioning the long-dead Lord Rozenalt there was nothing else that pointed towards the Moonlit Queen being some sort of pure fantasy.

If she was a neighbor---

"I think summoning Lady Fiadh may be our best choice," Fanilly said, finding her confidence once more, "If the Moonlit Queen truly is a 'neighbor' to Brennan. Lord Arken, would you be willing to assist Lady Gertrude's summoning?"

The Court Mage seemed somewhat dismayed, now, that he had unintentionally boosted the ego of someone who clearly didn't need it.

"Unfortunately, given this is the closest we've come to having a lead, I can't particularly disagree," Arken responded, answering Sir Fleuri's question at the same time, "I'll provide whatever I can. Including---"

The Court Mage let out a heavy sigh.

"---Sweets. I certainly hope you're good with summoning, Lady Gertrude."

Outside in the hall, the servant, a young man with dark wavy hair, seemed a bit surprised by the coin.

But it was hardly going to stop him from accepting it.

"Rivals? Mmmm..." he considered for a few moments, "None that I've heard of, at least not the type who'd be able to pull this off. He was alone for a bit during that party, though... maybe somethin' happened there?"

Quite unexpectedly, now the vampire seemed nearly as excited as the crazed lord was, if the broad grin was anything to go by as she sat backwards on the chair. So that was what was going on, huh...?

"Rozenalt, you say? He and I have unfinished business," she said, cheerily.

Summoning Fionn's fairy wife? Well... it couldn't make the situation any worse, could it? Not that she was sure Fiadh would be helpful. She'd kept the braid in good condition herself, so hopefully that wouldn't lead to distractions... maybe.

Rolan glanced at the tap on his shoulder, Ser Gerard stating his intent to come along as well. Smart, going poking around possible fae boundaries alone was not the ideal situation, though he had no qualms doing so. Better than standing around pretending to follow what was being discussed in regards to the summoning and finer details of magic. He gave a brief nod towards Gerard as he explained his rational, agreeing on all points.

"Twice the hands, half the work. Certainly better than standing around waiting for the magically inclined to send us on an errand."

It sounded like, from the ramblings that the Captain had latched onto, all they had to do was find this Moonlit Queen's home. It was always easier said than done, and this time would be no different. But tracking and hunting, he was confident in his capabilities there more so than anything else he provided to the Roses talent wise. With a goal in mind, determine where the Fae territory began and, by extension, where to head once the summoning confirmed everything they wanted to confirm, Rolan made his way out of the room, catching brief mention of the Duke being left alone during the party. That was likely when this madness was placed into his mind, or otherwise inflicted on him. How it wasn't noticed before the morning was concerning but not much could be done for that. Leaving the rest of the Roses to their intents, Rolan would make for the edge of the woods to begin his search, Ser Gerard helping should he stay true to his word.

"Sooner we find the boundaries, the sooner we can get this figured out. Got a preference which way you would prefer to go first?"

Ser Gerard had the courtesy to offer to come along, so Rolan figured it was at least courteous to take his considerations into thought before simply beginning to make sweeping passes through the wood, heading progressively deeper while watching for fae sign or other indications of a boundary of some sort. His fellow knight might have a consideration he had not noticed, so all the better to check before they began searching in earnest.

@HereComesTheSnow

Gertrude gave Fanilly a short, almost certainly ironic curtsey, and smiled.

"Of course, mistress. I'll start right away," Gertrude said, beckoning to Arken, "and no need to worry, your lordship. I began learning summoning magic about two weeks ago, so naturally I am already proficient."

Gertrude began ordering the staff to clear out a medium-sized room for her, and with the backing of the court mage, she soon had everything she needed: space, quiet, materials, and lots of ridiculously unhealthy snacks. She immediately began drawing a summoning circle for fey, which she had memorized by heart, while occasionally pecking at a pastry or two.

"Summoning doesn't require a lot of mana, and I doubt you recognize what I'm drawing," she explained to Arken, licking some honey off her fingertip, "so aside from the room-clearing and snack-supplying, I don't need much help. Figured you'd like to take a peek at the technique I'm using, though. Maybe offer some insight, if you have any. My teacher made it purposely complex and opaque to keep anyone from summoning anything too harmful, but if I wanted to summon something harmful one day... well, I'd like to be able to edit it eventually. Whatever guesses you might have could help me unravel it sooner."

When Gertrude was done with the circle, she'd simply supply it with Fiadh's name, and the Niyar should show up. She hoped the pull would bother Fionn.

Gerard Segremors

@Eisenhorn

"Where it's thickest." he replied after a moment's thought, cupping his chin with a gauntleted hand. In truth, he likely had cause enough to simply defer to Rolan's better-maintained skills in navigation, tracking, and general bushcraft— while he had never been so privileged as to allow the skills to truly atrophy, even as field infantry, it was still a stark contrast to what he knew of Sir Rolan's skillset. The man had seemed to melt into the thicket with little prompting by the end of their time in the crucible with Thrinax.

But a rural boy rarely lacked in his share of folk tales and half-heeded warnings regarding the fae, and he grew up near more than an old enough wood for them to have been beaten into his head all the same. Their search then proceeded in earnest as they fanned out, starting along the more beaten path—

"Places where the woods may part off the path, circles of toadstools, fluid markings upon clear-faced stones or tree trunks— Where I'm from, at least, things of that nature are hallmarks of being close to entering territory they've laid claim to." he explained, scanning the ground. "A change in the air as well. Not eyes on you like you're being stalked, but... closer to a sense of disorientation. Like you can't remember which way you just came from. The usual stuff. If things get a little weird, I snuck away one of the pastries they were carting in for Lady Gertrude— we may as well look out for scraps of prior offerings on that note. Basket for tarts or something."

Alone? How curious. The good duke managed to slip away from the crowd at his very own gathering? Poor manners from a host, really. This sort of social gaffe was something Renar wouldn't expect from the man. Either he'd had some sort of particularly important business going on, or he'd already been ensorcelled at this point. Just more subtly.

"Your time is appreciated." Renar nodded to the servant before turning with a swish of his cloak and stalking back into the main hall.

"Sir Aglan," He stalked forward towards the knight in question, keeping his voice low. "Whom would you believe to have the most knowledge of the duke's dealings among the manor staff? Has anyone gone through his personal records yet to search for a cause behind all of this? His son, perhaps?"

---

"Please behave yourself," Fionn muttered as Gertrude passed by on her way around the others and out of the room. As of yet, he had no clue what sort of effects (if any) the summoning might have on him, given the nature of his relationship with Fiadh. However, he certainly didn't want to risk anything bad happening, or Gertrude's attitude causing problems once the Niyar actually showed up.

In another moment, though, he had his hands on Tyaethe's shoulders, holding her down lest she start rocking or bouncing to match the happy smile on her face. "Bit south for Rozenalt, isn't it?" he mused; while Rozenalt was still a popular enough subject of various tales and stories to make it into whatever novel Renar had been discussing with princess Elisandre, as far as he knew from the myth Rozenalt was at least slightly more likely to stay in Velt. If it was going to be dealing with the wild hunt, surely Thaln had more than enough of its own disgraced and villainous noble or royal figures to show up in the lead.

Either way, he at least had to figure out a way to keep Tyaethe's unhidden enthusiasm for fighting the hunt under control, to try and avoid sending any of the servants into a panic. "Either way, if he or someone else should show up at the head of a Hunt, I'm afraid I have to insist that you let your loyal forces protect you, my lord."

Fleuri Jodeau

Fae tricks were outside of Fleuri's knowledge- this wasn't a matter that he knew how to deal with. Magic, in general, was not something that he was particularly useful for dealing with delicately. He was working on how to deal with magic indelicately, but that wasn't much use here.

He had no objections to Fanilly's suggestion to summoning Fionn's fae friend, so he stood back and watched Gertrude perform the ritual. He doubted that Fiadh would know about this particular incident- after all, just because she was a fae didn't mean that she had anything to do with what happened here- but it stood to reason that she'd have some inside insight as to how fae think and operate, and what their magic is capable of doing.

It was hard not to take note of the way Dame Tyaethe had latched onto the mention of Lord Rozenalt. Fanilly's mind drifted backwards, to the conversation with the reconstructed Sir Cyrus in Dame Merilia's realm. Initially, she'd dismissed it as part of the Duke's madness, but did Dame Tyaethe think---

Nevermind. It wasn't important at the moment. They had to focus on what mattered, and right now that was attempting to discern the location of the mysterious Moonlit Queen.

While Lady Fiadh wasn't from around here natively, she was still a fae. If the Moonlit Queen was some form of fae, as expected, then that meant that it was at least possible that she might have some information.

Fanilly searched her mind for stories of fae from her childhood. Despite the very real dangers presented by some of their kind, or perhaps because of them, it was rather popular to regale children with such stories. The Toadstool and the Raven, Whimsical Raley, or even the more mature Court of Shadows were all stories she had read when she was younger, and all of them drew from the fae.

Maybe there was mention of something similar to this Moonlit Queen in one of them?

Taking note of Sir Rolan and Sir Gerard's conversation, the knight-captain took a deep breath before approaching them.

"If you're going to be scouting for potential places the fae might congregate, I'll as you to be careful," she began, "And I'd like you to wait to be accompanied by a few more knights just in case."

Fanilly had no more complex reasons for this beyond not wanting to place her knights are more risk then necessary, and if fairies were somehow driving people to madness then there was no reason not to be cautious.

Meanwhile, Sir Renar's question was met with some consideration.

"Hmmm... There's his butler, Evart," Sir Aglan said after a thoughtful pause, "But if you're speaking about his personal records then it would be difficult to think of anyone other than his Grace's son. As you might expect, young Lord Dannic has been quite busy, but he's currently in the manor library."

The fact that Gertrude had only been learning summoning magic for two weeks was met with a look of incredulity on Arken's face, but it was perhaps the confidence with which the Knight-Captain had allowed Gertrude to take on this task that made him do nothing more than sigh and accompany the other magic practitioner.

It was likely that the maid outfit-clad witch's explanation of the magic circle made him even less inclined to help her spot any details that might unravel the circle's secrets.

There was a glimmer of green light, and the unmistakeable smell of the forest—and then there was a small, familiar figure poking curiously at the barrier the circle constructed around her. "Darling says you're not all married, but here you are summoning me… you know, this is very rude. I can't even reach any of those sweets you've gotten for us!"

The fairy paused briefly, turning a disappointed look up at Gertrude, but then brightened up and continued on without chance for a response, chattering away, "So, if you couldn't wait until you got home, there must be something you want… something that all those busy warriors can't spare the time for. Hmm… were you lonely? Did you want me to braid your hair too? Oh, or I could pat your head and call you a good girl! That would be nice, wouldn't it?"

"Ah, we might not need to tangle with the Hunt," Tyaethe mused aloud, legs kicking in the air, "This sort of subtlety isn't really their thing, and I can't think of how you'd survive their attentions but simply lose your marbles like that. Though, I guess the unseelie would certainly be more involved, so if we need to go pay them a visit, we might get to tangle with them after all… that would be fun; it's much faster than waiting for them to come to you. Especially if Rozenalt is down here for a while."

Then she paused. "Hm, though I guess distance doesn't have that much meaning. I wonder if the leader of the hunt is caught in fey politics too."

"Your concern is understood, Captain, but if we wait for the rest of the knights to finish with their indulging of madness we might be here all day. We will be careful, rest assured of that." Rolan was not keen on simply waiting for an undefined number of knights to become available to start combing the woods. Between piecing together the maddened rambling of the Duke, waiting on summoning of a Fae and whatever answers, or questions, that might provide, and not being well suited to politely gathering information meant that their skills were best suited to scouting ahead, to better direct any information found within the Duke's holdings towards the Fae if the time came. Since she had not simply ordered them to stay, Rolan treated her concern as a suggestion and added it to the mental list of things to keep track of while solving this latest concern.

@VitaVitaAR

---

Rolan listened as Ser Gerard began speaking on the folk stories of fae sign and how to identify it, starting from the thickest of the present wood and working from there. His knowledge of the fae territory was limited to what studies he had done prior to going to areas suspected of, or having, such a presence. It was decently rare before now, as most of his targets prior to joining the Captain's personal retinue were not so desperate as to flee to lands claimed by the Fae, and Rolan knew that there was more truth to folk tales and legend than more traditionally learned men might be willing to admit. Such things didn't get into generations of retelling without having some truth to them, after all, and it aligned with the fewer, but more pragmatic, cautions given when he was still learning to hunt as a child. "Smart that you grabbed a suitable offering then, should we find it necessary. My own rations and belongings are mostly lacking in the worthiness of being an offering. I have a jam, I suppose, but I am not keen on parting with that, not without time to prepare a replacement batch."

Rolan's efforts alongside Ser Gerard's along the more well worn paths of the wood watched for the signs he spoke of in addition to his normal tells and signs of passing individuals and the like. Ideally once they found signs of where the Fae claimed territory began they would report their findings back, before crossing over and inviting trouble that would require a response from their fellow knights.

@HereComesTheSnow

"It's fine if you're stumped, Arken," Gertrude replied bluntly to the relative silence on the court mage's end, "it's not exactly easy. I just figured as long as I had you... ah-"

The circle glowed green, and the Niyar showed herself. It was a success! Of course it was a success. A confident smirk crept up on Gertrude's lips, which quickly turned into a frown when Fiadh implied that Gertrude might be married to the lout for some reason. Do you have to be married to summon a man's fairy wife? Ugh, whatever.

"I-I'm not lonely and I don't need anyone to pat my head," Gertrude grumbled, not entirely turned off by the idea. Still, she wasn't about to be treated like a kid by yet another obscenely old and pretty woman. She was too proud, and she knew she'd catch shit from the lout when Fiadh told him besides.

"Anyways, this would be easier in the future if we had a formal contract. I could even give you some of these sweets. It would be good to be able to call you easily if that lout gets into trouble. But for now, we just need to know if you're aware of any fey that goes by the epithet 'The Moonlit Queen'. We're in Brennen on the edge of the woods, if that narrows anything down."

"Your time is appreciated." Renar bowed his head to Sir Aglan before stalking off in the direction of the library he was pointed to. Hopefully, this lead would get him somewhere. The son had already been ruled out in terms of actions, lest he be playing at some inane scheme. And 'the butler did it' would just be trite if it were true. To say nothing of the fact that there would be no discernable motive, short of being bribed by outside parties. Best to double check later, but for now, questioning the son would do.

Renar entered the library, quickly pointing out the only person within who could have been the duke's son. He approached, bowing.

"Lord Dannic? Pardon my intrusion. I am Renar Hagen, one of the Knights of the Iron Rose investigating your father's condition. Would you mind terribly if I asked you some questions regarding the matter? Forgive the presumption, but have you gone through any of your father's personal effects at all since this began? Any journals or private documents that could give a hint as to what party could possibly cause this?"

"My loyal forces... yes, the Pie-People are indeed ready for my command!"

The Duke's declaration was, at least, filled with confidence that he would be defended. It was at least a sentiment Fanilly shared, it didn't appear as if there were any direct traitors in the midst, and she suspected most people in Brennan would find it impossible to to cause the abrupt appearance of such madness. Besides, at the very least, Duke Thedric's immediate servants had assisted in contacting help.

On top of all that, the likelihood of fae interference was far more probable then anything else, at the moment. At the very least, that meant they could start there.

"For the moment," the Knight-Captain began, "We need to attempt to discern as much information as possible about what may have happened. Sir Gerard and Sir Rolan have left to serve as a scouting party, and I've dispatched some of the other knights alongside them. With any luck, we may be able to pinpoint likely places that this 'Moonlit Queen' may be lurking."

Fanilly's understanding the fae was mostly informed by stories from her childhood, and occasional mentions in historical or otherwise informative texts. There were many sorts of fae, and it was speculated that their origins lay with one of the elven gods. But nothing was entirely certain in that regard.

"I can only pray that you find something soon," Sir Aglan said with a heavy sigh, "Lord Dannic is bright and driven, but I don't believe he's ready to succeed his father."

Doubt rose in Fanilly's mind once more. She knew that Lord Dannic was young, younger than herself. What if they couldn't help with the seemingly fae-touched Duke's sanity?

What if there wasn't any way to fix it?

Would the Duke's son have to take his place?

---

Ahead of Sir Renar was a slender boy, perhaps thirteen or fourteen, his slim features pointed downwards, bright green eyes fixed on the pages of an open book and framed by wavy black hair.

It was only when he heard the knight speak that he looked up, with a slight jump.

"Ah, Sir Renar, I'd heard that the Iron Rose Knights had arrived. I... take it that you already spoke to father," he replied, his gaze downcast for a few moments, his voice taking a more sombre tone.

But when he spoke again, his energy had returned.

"Father's personal affects? Well... Not all of them, yet, but I did manage to find one of his old journals. That's why I'm here, it mentioned something strange that I thought I might be able to learn more about if I consulted the library tomes."

He took the book he'd been reading gently in one hand, lifting it to display its title.

Fae, and other Creatures of the Wilds.

It seemed that the Lord's son had come to a similar conclusion to the Knights.

"I'd only found it earlier today, so I wasn't certain, but... Supposedly Father spoke to someone before he went mad, at that party. He told me it was someone he knew, too, before his sanity abandoned him. Someone bathed in moonlight, and touched by stars."

Reaching into the bag sitting beside him, the boy took out a leatherbound journal.

"So I thought there might be some mention of them here, but there's only one person he describes that way."

It was clear, thankfully, that Dannic was willing to share anything he felt might be useful, as he opened the journal to a marked page.

"See? Isn't this strange?"

He pointed towards a specific passage.

"At times, I must confess I wish for simpler days. Days where I spent my time in the forest, playing with that star-touched girl and sharing with her secrets that have long since lost their importance. Alas, those days are long gone, and my duty to my people comes first."

"Father mentions the 'star-touched girl' in the forest more than once," he added, "But he never says anything else about her. So I thought, maybe..."

His gaze returned to the other book.

---

"It's not that I'm stumped, it's just..." Arken sighed heavily. He didn't appear particularly surprised by the summoning's success. It wasn't as if summoning was a particularly rare skill, especially when it came to more agreeable fae and other spirits.

"But I didn't ask if you needed it, I asked if you wanted it," Fiadh 'helpfully' pointed out, swaying to some unheard rhythm in the circle and nodding along as Gertrude kept talking. And looking scandalised, which was not an expression usually associated with the Niyar.

"A contract? That's very forward of you. To propose so forwardly on just our second meeting… you seem like a nice girl, but I'm afraid that will need to wait a little while~"

Arken was, right now, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but in this room. Even with Fiadh returning to the actual question and following up with one of her own, asking where they were.

"I see… no, no, I can't tell you who exactly the Moonlit Queen would be. It's quite a popular title with the more powerful faeries. She probably is a queen, but who could say? She might be nasty and out to kill everyone, or maybe she's going to be a nice girl unless you provoke her. Or one of those fairies that reaaaaaaaally likes word games. Just don't suggest there might be other moonlit queens around, they tend to get upset about usurpers. Which is silly, they're all lit up by the moon, aren't they? Well, maybe there's one underground, that would be impressive…"

---

Brennan Forest was lush, and green. It was the sort of place one could easily get lost in, if they didn't stick to more well-known areas or well-trodden paths.

The trees could easily become maze-like. Perhaps, this was a reason why it was rumored that many sorts of fae called certain areas of the forest their home.

The Knight-Captain hadn't stopped Sir Gerard and Sir Rolan, but instead she had insisted several of the other available knights accompanied them immediately, just in case.

Among them was Sir Caulder, a fairly burly and well-armored man who wielded a large axe, his very bright blue eyes piercing right through his visor. His armor wasn't particularly ornate, but it was finely-crafted and always shown brilliantly.

Another was Dame Yael, a knight who, in her armor, appeared to be a boy who could be described as beautiful rather than handsome, her purple eyes and short brown hair framed by smooth, well-proportioned features.

Without armor, it was impossible to mistake her for a boy, however.

It was her who spoke up, after a moment.

"I shouldn't need to remind you," she began, "But it's for the best if we don't split up."

Perhaps the fact she mentioned it at all indicated her feelings on Sir Gerard and Sir Rolan.

At first, the trek into the forest seemed to be rather fruitless. Particularly due to them sticking to the trail, as during such hours it was simply unlikely that any fae or other creatures would reveal themselves on their own without any motivation.

Unlikely, however, did not mean impossible.

"Help! Someone come and help!"

That frantic voice sounded like a young girl's, and it was definitely originating from the thick grove of trees to the right of the small party of knights.

Gerard Segremors

@Eisenhorn@VitaVitaAR

"Nothing to worry about, Dame Yael," he replied, shrugging off her wary reminder with little more than a raised gauntlet and a disarming smile, as they turned and started off into the woods. She was right— she didn't need to remind him, not in the least, when fae were likely on the table— of any of them short of Fionn, Gerard was confident he was at least in the running for having the healthiest respect of the depths of a green like Brennan. "I come from small beginnings, near a forest quite like this. I'll be good today."

That affectation of humor, of course, was short-lived on the armored wolf's visage as the search began in earnest, replaced by a sharp-eyed and alert cast to the face, all firm lines. Not quite a frown, but certainly not smiling. His helm rested in the crook of his elbow against his cuirass— both new additions he was getting used to the weight of on his person, neither hopefully to see any use on this maiden dispatch. He needed his eyes and ears for a search like this, especially as the woods grew thicker, the path less worn, the surroundings dimmer beneath the canopy.

The search was slow-going. It needed to be, both to pierce through the lush greenery for details that might be out of place as well as exercising all necessary caution, keeping the tight diamond of their unit squarely centered within the main trail. Internally, Gerard consulted what he knew of the folklore he'd been brought up in, a distant memory now— but one even his mercenary days had been sure to maintain, at least in the background. If he could narrow down possibilities, then that was time better spent than simply being puzzled as they continued to turn up nothing much.

The time, in fairness, was wrong to begin with. About noon by now— even in the depths of the canopy, Reon at the height of her powers was a watchful enough eye that most were unlikely to emerge and make contact with a bunch of people— few ever made their mischief when the full weight of the Goddess's Order bore upon the waking world.

Few, but not none.



"Hold," he breathed to the rest of the group, a tight and wary edge on his voice as his mind raced through the facts he had, and began ruling out or in possibilities. Punctuating the hushed bark, he held up a fist, golden eyes darting back to do a quick head count before levelling themselves onto the source of the sound.

The cry for help had come from their right side, preceded by nothing, deep enough in the thicket to have an unseen source. Not Siheyar, which was good. The Midnight Men likely abhorred day most of all, given the name. It sounded like that of a young girl's. Probably wasn't Senyar. He saw no light that might indicate flame, no smoke that might indicate the greenery around them to be caught, nothing else that would suggest Feinyar. That was all the obvious ones dealt with. Leaving Aessyr, usually interested more in trade than anything else, Niyar, largely friendly spirits of the forest, and... Nithyr. Unmoored by reason, capricious in the extreme, and more than capable of robbing a good man of his wits.

"We stay on the path, no matter what. If something feels wrong— disorientation, an urge not from your head, anything, you say it. We have the right to walk here." he explained in a low and clear tone, hackles raised beneath the wolf-pelt mantle atop his shoulders. Under his breath, he uttered a small prayer to his patron Goddess— "Lady Reon, if ever I have been of good service, please shine truth onto all deception before our eyes..."

Then, he raised his voice, calling out in response with firmly planted feet.

"Come on out!" he urged, choosing his words carefully. "We stand on the safe path— the woods are dangerous off of it! If we might help you, we'd need to see who we're talking to first!"

@VitaVitaAR@HereComesTheSnow

"I'll not go roving alone without good cause. Slow going, but safety in numbers and all that." Rolan did not waste his energy with gestures, eyes already scanning their surroundings as they breached Brennan Forest properly. Dame Yael's suspected opinion of both Ser Gerard and himself was not lost on the hedge knight, though he was not exactly concerned with it even if it had been. The Captain insisted on a giant of a man in frankly overly gleaming armor that bordered on distracting, while lacking any ornate design beyond that. One almost wondered how long the man spent polishing the armor to get it to such a gleaming degree even in woods like these. Dame Yael, meanwhile, preferred a more practical armor that concealed much of who she was while remaining far more practical. Still far too much noise and metal for his tastes, but most knights did not need to worry about concealment and noise.

Once the search began in earnest, Rolan slowed his breathing and began focusing not on just what he could see, but what his other senses could tell him. Ser Gerard was sharp eyed enough alone that he felt confident in focusing on his other senses, not to disregard the additional two knights with them. He kept an eye out, but his intent was on the surrounding sounds, the noise of the wood, the feel in the air. Long years hunting had taught him that, if something strange was afoot, one of the first things to vanish was the sounds of wildlife. They would go to ground and hide first, robbing the wood of part of his natural sound, while the potential of the Fae meant that he had to take every sense into account rather than just what he could see. Cover enough of their possible signs of Fae and one was bound to slip through to their attention. Still, it was slow going, as a group tracking anything would go while maintaining a proper formation.

Of course, all the focus on listening and the like meant the sharp, abrupt scream for help was almost painfully clear. Rolan instinctively pulled his cloak around his left side, obscuring both knife, blade, and satchel packed full of his alchemical supplies. By design, he had ensured that his off hand could access any of them while obscured, to keep any observers guessing. His stance shifted, subtly, to one he could ready his crossbow off his shoulder at a moment's notice. No armor that he needed to worry about donning, so he could instead focus on Ser Gerard's instructions, naturally falling in line at the rear of their diamond formation. He turned his back on his fellow knights, turning to watch their flanks and rear instead. The three in front could keep a close eye on the one calling for help, but sparing one of them to watch their vulnerable flanks and rear while otherwise distracted would be wise.

"Following your lead Ser Gerard, keeping eyes and ears on our surroundings." Rolan spoke low and fast, barely loud enough for the others to hear him, ready to react to danger at a moment's notice. He did not spare thought or time to prayer, wasn't ever quite his style beyond showing due respect in a chapel on the odd times he passed through one. Rather he was considering the route back to safety, how to get there in a timely manner, various contingencies should this prove to not be what it appeared to be. The shouting could just be a distraction as well, little more than a ploy to get all eyes in the same direction so it would be easier to slip behind them, or in the midst of them even if all focus was elsewhere. Better at least one of them see the trouble coming before they get ambushed rather than the first warning of trouble was blades at their collective throats.

"A fair assumption." Renar nodded in agreement with the boy's statements, his mind already fitting the pieces in with what he knew already. With the Duke's personal statement in mind, they could rule out actively malicious outside actors, most likely. The fool asked for this out of some inane childhood dream gone unfulfilled.

Of course, Renar didn't let any of that disdain show on his face. Instead, he simply nodded. They could perhaps do something with this lead. It depended on what the resident fae expert had to say, of course.

"Much appreciated, young lord." Renar inclined his head. "This clears up some avenues of approach, then. We can safely assume that whatever perpetrator committed this act was likely invited by your father. And, as something of an assumption, likely wasn't malicious or at least didn't believe themselves to be. As I understand the matter, fae are tricky things to pin down in terms of personality. Begging your leave, I ought to relay this information to one of my compatriots far more knowledgeable in the subject."

___

One recounting to Fionn later...

"...And that's more or less the gist of it. Your thoughts on the matter? Of course, your special friend's input would be welcome as well."

@The Otter