Private Conversations

[dominioned]

The confessional before you is ornate and well maintained, ebony colored wood embellished with the visage of two angels. A jet black curtain separates the confessional from the rest of the Church, offering a surprising degree of privacy to any eavesdroppers nearby. Unlike the rest of Krakow, the inside is dimly lit by a small light bulb securely attached to the ceiling which emits a faint red light. While the atmosphere isn't exactly cozy, it is private.

A smooth voice calls out to you once you've sat down, familiar enough to identify the speaker despite the partition between you.

"Welcome welcome. I take it something is on your mind?"

We're in a museum now, Harry.

Comments

[psychophant]

[if he was less dignified, he'd wring his hair out in here!! but thankfully, iago is not that much of a heathen (probably).]

Anything you'd like to tell me, though I'm sure I'll have questions as we go.

[dominioned]

[ Thank God even if this is likely to be an unholy conversation. ]

Let's see... She has a terrible bedhead when she rises in the morning—completely unruly, like an overwrought jungle.

[psychophant]

Well now I must ask... Are you spending the nights with her, or are you simply there to help her fix her hair in the morning?

[dominioned]

The first question was a courtesy, but I don't very much like to give anything away for free. I don't mind answering however, if you would tell me something in return?

[psychophant]

[It gets a laugh out of him.]

Nothing for free, of course. Go right ahead, what do you want to know?

[dominioned]

Of course. [ There's something bold in how he says that. ]

Your repertoire includes dark magic, but what does that entail exactly?

[psychophant]

[Hmm...]

I'll answer your question, but to avoid boring you, I'd like to ask something for clarification. Exactly how much do you know about our lives before we were brought here? I assumed that the information provided meant you knew everything about us, but...

[Well, it sounds like you aren't really familiar with what he can and can't do, so he's curious.]

[dominioned]

How courteous of you. [ Tap, tap, go his fingers against the wood. ]

You can assume that I am familiar with the broad strokes of every single one of you, along with some... specific details as I'm sure you have noticed. I do not know everything however, but enough to paint a clear picture. Think of it as slicing into a 10 layer chocolate cake—you may not know the proportions of butter or sugar used, but you could certainly tell that it wasn't tiramisu.

[psychophant]

I see.

[Not everything, then. Interesting...]

I would like to ask you more about the information at some point, but I'll answer your question.

I'm skilled in three areas of magic - dark magic, illusion magic, and the use of staves and healing magic. The latter is my weakest, though it isn't a common skill for dark mages to possess. With the proper staff, I'm capable of healing allies or temporarily freezing an enemy, along with some other temporary weakening.

Dark magic - where I'm from, at least - is primarily offensive magic. The spells I can cast are based entirely on what tome I choose to use. Just consider it very powerful offensive magic and that's really all you need to know. There are some unique things one can do with dark magic, such as summoning Faceless or creating Stoneborn. They're basically just monsters capable of fighting with us, although Faceless are much harder to control. I'm capable of that as well, though it usually is too much effort to bother.

Finally, illusion magic. There aren't many capable of it in Nohr. Illusion magic can allow me to change what a person sees - for example, making it so that an ally appears as an enemy. I'm capable of fully controlling another person's mind, though such a thing is finicky at best and certainly not my preferred method. [on this route of the game, at least!!] Finally, I'm able to create illusions over great distances - though this is primarily something I use for communication.

Oh, and I am capable of warping, although that isn't directly tied to any school of magic.

[All of that is entirely truthful, he actually hasn't left anything out.]

[dominioned]

[ Rembrandt waits until Iago is finished, listening to every word. There's a lot to address here and maybe he will double back at some point, but what he chooses to say is: ]

I see... that was quite a thorough explanation, my thanks. So the illusion power you were gifted here isn't quite the same then, is it?

[psychophant]

[That gets a short, sharp laugh out of him.]

Not at all. It's almost an insult, compared to what I'm usually capable of. Was that the Lady's doing?

[dominioned]

A pity. [ It doesn't really sound like it particularly is. ]

But perhaps you will grow into your new found gift. But yes, it was at her command that you were all given abilities.

[psychophant]

[thanks, rembrandt!!]

Did she choose what abilities we were given?

[how mad should he be, was this a personal slight???]

[dominioned]

Will this be a formal complaint? I was instructed to keep tabs on all of those.

[ yw. But he actually sounds serious here, he probably has a long list already given yesterday and today and the towels + poncho situation. ]

[psychophant]

[A sigh, and Iago waves a hand as if to dismiss it.]

No, no. Well, not yet, at any rate. Perhaps I'll change my mind later, but for now there's no sense in that.

[Mostly because he's certain the Lady will just find it funny and he isn't here to amuse her!!]

But it seems I've been sidetracked - did you need me to answer another question or will you tell me more about her?

[dominioned]

[ A mood he likely approves of. ]

We've already established the rules have we not? But seeing as you remembered, you may go out of turn. One question only—so do you wish to know the answer to your previous question or the one you just posed?

[psychophant]

[Hmm...]

Tell me about why you serve her. That's what I'm most interested in.

[dominioned]

Aha, another choice entirely then! [ For some reason, this is really amusing. ]

It's quite simple. She possesses something I want.

[psychophant]

[glad you're enjoying yourself, buddy...]

Well, that's certainly fair enough! I imagine you have another question for me, then?

[dominioned]

I do. You mentioned that there were many tomes you yield, is anyone capable of using them or do they require a specific skillset or catalyst? I have a certain interest in magic, you see.

[psychophant]

Technically, anyone can pick up a tome and wield it. It's a dreadful idea to do that with the more advanced magic tomes, however; practice and study are required to effectively and safely wield those.

Dark magic is entirely different - only those who have studied it for quite some time can hope to wield it. Even if an otherwise skilled mage were to attempt without proper study, it would end very poorly for them.

[dominioned]

[ There's some rustling going on as he evidently is switching positions, confessionals leave a lot to be desired in the comfort department. ]

Curious. I have further questions, but I assume you wish to take your turn first?

[psychophant]

I do, yes.

What is it you want from the Lady?

[He doesn't exactly expect an answer to that one, but curiosity compels him to ask anyway.]

[dominioned]

Now that would require a payment steeper than what you currently have.

[ Pretty much. ]

[psychophant]

Fair enough.

[Yeah, he's really not surprised...]

Can I ask what you are, then? You aren't human, correct?