[Research - Crimes Against Nature Part Ten]
Just who is Batholomew Quisby? Â What sort of name is Quisby? Â Just the sort to attach to an eccentric. Â His forbears were not Ul'dahn originally, and just how they made their fortune is not well known. Â But, a fortune they made, and after several generations enough remained to support a middle aged bachelor and his habits.
And eccentric he is: his love for the curious sent him abroad in the pursuit of arcane knowledge. Â Rumors are what they are, but in his case they speak of a talented magician who turned his pursuits toward the esoteric and unusual. Â He eventually opened small storefront, moving into the apartments above. Â The store itself serves primarily as a repository for his collection--his pieces priced just outside the reach of reason.
Regular customers know the man's trade is conversation, and at times knowledge. Â And it was just such a purpose that drew Aya Foxheart once more into his establishment.
"Oh I see," said the rather rotund fellow draped in finery too extravagant to be fashionable. Â Fat fingers shook the crumbs from his graying beard, as he smiled in appreciation of one of the offered treats. Â "How could I refuse Momodi's own Aya? Hmmm? Especially when she comes bearing a plate of such famously delicious cookies!" Â He grinned amiably before reaching for another of the morsels.
Aya smiled brightly; her blue eyes twinkling with that almost irresistible curiosity of which she was capable. Â
"Such a man would be a danger, my dear. Â And no run-of-the-mill villain." Â He stopped and peered back to her with the proud look of a man sharing his immense knowledge, "You do understand, I hope, that succor is not intrinsically benevolent. Â Though the Magicians who mastered the art are known to us as 'White Mages'; there are no moral restrictions upon its use. Â It is a primal force!" He raised his hands in a flourish, before quickly drawing his hand back down to finish the cookie it grasped. Â
"Someone versed in its power, as well as that of the void, would truly be a destructive force of untold potential!" Â He let out a laugh, fingers stroking his long beard. Â "It is a well thing, indeed, that we have no such dangers today. Â Now dear, why would you even have such ideas?"
Aya's expression had darkened considerably, but her soft smile returned at the question; her eyes demurred as a sheepish bashfulness came over her for having posed such an inquiry.  "I have just overheard some people discussing it.  Are you sure there aren't any  examples that you know of?"
He let out another guffaw, "Of course not! Â I very well doubt that the city would be standing still if there were! " Â He turned an excited smile her way, "But how about magical earrings. Â They positively gleam with radiance, the perfect accompaniment to a young woman's smile. Â Don't you think?"
Aya struggled to feign an interest that at any another time would have been genuine...
She worked the pipe stem over in her mouth with an unusually ferocious energy. Â A warm winter breeze made for a more comfortable evening than usual out-of-doors, but her mind was anything if at ease. Â "Just what are we dealing with?" She wondered. Â "There must be more to it! Â But if Quisby doesn't know, who would?"
She turned the quandary over in her mind with for some time until the solution presented itself with the clarity of the mid-day sun: Zaheela. Â Rhea Zaheela. Â The circumspect merchant who had let slip her obsession with rare books and esoteric knowledge on more than one occasion. Â
She proved easier to engage on the problem than Aya could have ever guessed: like a hound bored without quarry she was ready to leap upon the quest almost before their interview were over. Â
It was just a week later when Aya found herself once more in the woman's Ul'dah based business. Â
Rhea lead her downstairs into the cool, dry basement chambers. Â To say that she was book obsessed would seem to place it mildly. Â The walls were lined floor to ceiling with case after case of shelves stuffed thick with books of every discernible age and nature. Â Just what method of organization lent order to the collection escaped the girl, whose exposure to such sights was rare indeed. Â But she harbored no doubt that her reserved hostess could recall and place each and every volume. Â
The private chamber took the theme a level beyond: in addition to the reams upon reams of book-lined shelves, was a series of head-high stacked piles upon the floor. Â "Recent acquisitions?", she wondered silently. Â Not yet sorted, or perhaps of special character, or simply an unanticipated overstock. Â Whatever their purpose the piles added to the overall impact: the woman must possess near every tome ever authored, or so it would appear to someone who had never set foot within the grand libraries of Sharlayan or Ishgard. Â
"I have found exactly what you asked for." Â Stated the Miqo'te with an even and unexcited tone. Â Her tail did not swish freely as so many others did, nor did an unearned smile grace her lips. Â "I have found record of such cases in the past. Â Magicians who mastered both the power of Succor, and the corruption of the Void"
There was a business-as-usual sense to the woman as she moved to the back wall of her chamber and knelt down. Â She slipped a ring free from her finger and pressed it against a hidden recess in the wall, a keyplate. Â There was a muffled sound of turning gears, while Aya watched with wide-eyed wonder. Â Within the safe was the plain sight of gems, bars of bullion, and an aged wooden box. Â Rhea slipped on a pair of silk gloves before carefully removing the box.
"Its even worse that you feared. Â Much worse." She added as she set the box down upon a small table. "I located an Ampadoran Tome that mentions several examples of the danger these magicians pose. Â The account is unfortunately vague on many details, but a few of interest are made plainly clear through careful analysis."
Aya stood astonished. Her lips parted, eyes unblinking for a moment. Â She grasped for some hint of good news, "They must speak of some ways to stop them?" She asked, in a clearly plaintive tone.
The book was carefully retrieved from the box, the cover ancient and marred by signs of deep wear and tear. Â "Yes. Â The suggested method seems to be to stab the Magician until they stop twitching." Â She had opened the book, but paused as if trying to recall something important. Â "And then stab even more to make sure." With her suggested method finished she looked back to the book with an intent interest, "Though I am to understand that method is familiar to most."
The blonde stood dumbfounded a few feet away. Â So great was her concern about the danger of the magician that even this heartened her spirit, "At least that means they are vulnerable to arms..."
Rhea nodded, her attention still consumed by the book. Â "It is the most common method for dealing with such problems. Â Even if some people won't admit that such a simple method is best." She looked intently upon a page, "I also fear that I was unable to uncover what you asked for regarding a method for tracking such an individual. Â Normally, of course, tracking such a powerful magician, especially one corrupted by the void, would be a rather trivial matter. Â So I was curious why you had asked about means for tracking such an individual."
Rhea cupped her chin for a moment, Aya a captive audience. Â
"But I was able to uncover the reason for that. Â There is a method that these magicians, in the past, have used to hide their true power and thus avoid detection."
Rhea lifted the page so that Aya could regard it, as if she were able to make any sense of the Ampadoran record. Â Blonde eyebrows rose in anticipation. Â Unconsciously Aya leaned toward Rhea, anxious for every morsel of information.
"It is a method most sane and humane souls would never considered. Â But one untethered by morality, and so empowered, may offer another as his vessel for corruption. Â The darkness is thereby channeled into the vessel's body, thus sparing the master of its taint. Â The vessel is treated as little more than a living, breathing ward of power."
Aya gasped - Rhea's intonation was even and unemotional, but it was still obvious just how deeply the thought of so profane an act moved her. Â
'What sort... of darkness...' asked Aya as if the breath had been sucked right from her body. Â The implications for the Ghosts already plainly obvious.
"Though we may not assume to know it from experience, our enlightened scholars concluded that, if an acceptable sacrifice were provided, the magician would be able to summon power from the vessel. Â Thus retaining full destructive abilities with nary a sign of corruption. Â The corruption would, instead, effect the vessels who are sacrificed to bear the burden for him."
"I see..." replied Aya in an near-whisper. Â She clutched her cloak more tightly around her collar, as if she could ward off such evil with the gesture. Â "So the vessel carries some of the power reserved by the magician, who then appears incorrupted?"
Rhea nodded, carefully closing the tome. Â "That is correct. Â It is the enslavement of a person, against their will, to hold onto the magician's void power in the manner of a battery. Â Given the unwilling and unwarded nature of the sacrifice, it is likely that the void corruption would run free and obvious upon him or her. Â But the magician would be beyond notice."
Aya clenched her jaw. Â Liadan had been attempting to cleanse the Ghosts, the vessels, of their void taint. Â The potential for danger suddenly seemed to close in with increasing urgency. Â "This means that we could be dealing with an individual with dozens, if not more, vessels walking aro..."
"Is there any way to reverse the process?" interrupted Aya.
Rhea's ears lay back flat against her head and her tail tucked at the interruption, while she seemed to ponder. Â "It seemed that the same approach as in the case of the Magician were preferred." Â She paused, Â "But, there is a problem."
As if problem enough were not already apparent, "A problem?" Aya asked with a ready hint of exasperation.
Rhea looked around the room for a moment before retrieving from her safe a relatively flimsy looking bag, stretched taught with black and white pearls. Â She carefully sorted out the black pearls, setting them aside on the table.
"Say that these," she gestured toward the black pearls, "represent his vessels. Â This bag of pearls is our mage. Â Say someone locates one of his vessels, who is showing signs of void corruption, and exterminates him, like most would. Â The problem is, what happens when the vessel dies? Â Normally the void magic would disperse or, in the worst cases, run wild. Â But, in this case, what happens in the record, is:" she pinched the bag of pearls where it iwas tied, opened it and poured in the black pearls that were the vessels. Â She shook the bag, mixing the pearls together, and then attempted to retie it where she had pinched it. Â So hard she pulled against the tie that the bag burst, scattering the pearls dramatically across the chamber.
"Like a bomb. Â A walking, living bomb of corruption. Â The record indicates that the corruption released by his vessels' death rebounded unto him, suddenly killing him instantly, even though he were malms away."
"A bomb...?" asked Aya, looking half petrified, and half excited.
"The release of so much void energy at once could have any number of unpredictable consequences for those around the magician. Â An explosion, or corruption. The summoning of a void beast, or even ripping a tear right into the void."
Rhea returned the tome to its velvet wrapping, and placing it back into the box.
"It is just my personal opinion, but if this man were smart he would be using this danger to his advantage. Â Perhaps hiding himself in a position where he could do the most damage if this weakness were exposed. Â Though, it is possible that he is too foolish to realize his own predicament. That said, I have found that such people are both reckless and bold, but rarely fools."
Aya nodded slightly, her grip upon her cloak slowly relaxing.
Rhea stopped at her safe, turning narrowed eyes back toward Aya with the look of either accusation or amusement upon her nearly expressionless face. Â "By the way: This tome cost me half a million gil."
((Thanks to the fantastic Rhea for the RP scene this was based on! ^^))