The Ballad of Adler Young, Canto 2.5

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the meaning of various Vulpitanian medals. And by just which criteria are they awarded? Maybe the Young Monocled Patriot could explain?

The Young Monocled Patriot explains: "Loyal citizens of teh Republic get awards 4 unlocking all kinds of Achievements in Vulpitanian society. Theres meddles an theres ribbons. I got this ribbon 4 joining teh Youth Brigade. Most Vulpitanians have this & dont wear it B/C its liek so common, wutevr, but its my 1st 1 so Ima sport it with pride. VULPITANIA VINCIT 4 EVAR U GUYS!!!1!! But srsly, as U progress thru life as a Vulpitanian, U get meddles 4 all kinds of stuff. Theres a Seltzer Marksmanship award I have my eye on. Theres a 1-up meddle U get 4 collecting all teh mushrooms in teh forest, & theres even a meddle for having lots of meddles! Higher ranks get a fancy sash to pin them on, but most folx wear em on their jacket. Its all about fun & recognition by you're peers."

>Have a shocking discovery! That's not water!
>on closer inspection the bowl of water is glowing. you can see what they are dreaming in the glowing water. In fact they are dreaming together, the bowl has linked them.
>Hmm, even if you sabotage their notes and samples, they will still know how to do it. I wonder could you use Gramayre or elfmind to make them forget ? (Or better to make them remember something else, it would be hilarious if they started clucking and dancing like chickens when presenting their research)
Adler, use elfmind on the unconscious foxes. Be disturbed by what you see.
Liquid in the bowl, do NOT be water.

I noticed that the surface of the water was flickering with a pale light, so I crouched down to investigate. A strong whiff of a strange pickle-like odor persuaded me that the liquid in the bowl was not actually water. As I peered into it, I could see ripples of phosphorescence flickering out from the hands of the two foxes. Where the ripples met, they coalesced into images. It looked like tiny replicas of Rotnev and Nexivydah; they were dancing amid a flock of flying .. herring? Perhaps this was a magickal projection of a dream they were sharing. Had Estvan done this? If so, where was he now?

I pondered using Elfmind on the sleeping SALVs, but I wasn't sure about intruding on the dreams of a sleeping elf - especially one in an enchanted sleep. According to some of the lore I had read, there was a risk of becoming caught in the dream and falling asleep along with one's victim. There were supposed to be ways to defend against this, as well as methods for making people forget information, but I was not familiar with the technique.

It certainly would have been handy to have met Estvan here, but I saw no sign of him.

>Adler: Realize that you don't actually know anything about their research, not even what it looks like. Why can't they have a large, well-formatted document detailing the steps in simple terms laying around, how inconsiderate!
Adler: > you got a kingdom to save and a lab to ruin! To the laboratory >>>>
Estvan: > Have a whale of a time with lab equipment and do some mad science of your own.
>Adler : Ransack the room. Time's-a-wastin', kiddo.
Adler > you see the magic stone tablet with "the old crow" on it. try to understand whats on it
Also around it are many jars with mishaped things in a weird fluid. you feel sick.

I was feeling pressed for time, so I got up and hurried into the next room, where the SALVs had set up their alchemical and thaumaturgical equipment. I stopped, bewildered, in front of a table where some sort of condensing apparatus had been set up, next to a rack full of gross-looking things in jars. I wanted to disrupt whatever process was underway here, but without knowing exactly what it was, there could be risks of explosion, or meltdown, or poisonous gas .. I had no idea what might happen if the wrong things came into contact with each other. If only I had some technical data on these experiments! But even if I did find the foxes' research notes, did I really have time to study them?

I looked around and spotted, propped in the corner, a tablet with the name of the Old Crow carved on it. Why was this here? Maybe it was a clue.

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pass by a huge, fuzzy and roughly spherical object being rolled by some foxes, while being escorted by a juvenile monocled vixen wearing a pair of odd knee-high boots
Rumours about the impending winter, start spreading throughout Albric Tor.

On their way to the Palace to deliver Avogadro's deposition, the Sergeant and Marshal Theronmyathus passed a duo of Vulpitanians pushing an enormous ball of orange fur down the sidewalk, as a small young vixen in galoshes barked orders at them.

"It looks like the Vulpitanians are mobilizing for Winter," Avogadro speculated.

"Completely the wrong time of the year for Winter," Theronmyathus croaked. "It is wise to discount rumors spread by panicking foxes in the night."

"Then what's the giant furball for?" Avogadro wondered. "Was it .. could it have been .. gekkering?"

"That's highly improbable," the Marshal retorted. "If you can't keep your mind on the task at hand, then perhaps you should return to GHQ."

"No sir, I'm fine. Though I still think we should establish contact at the Embassy and get their support on this."

"The Vulpitanian Embassy, as you saw, is a damp and smoldering shambles right now. If we are to act promptly on this information, then perforce we must act alone."

King Estemere > Be oblivious to the report contents as you just hand the envelope over to your ministers to deal with it

The pair entered the Palace and made their way toward the Royal Chambers, where they were met by Secretary Dodie O'Doe.

"Urgent communique for His Majesty the King," Theronmyathus rasped.

"I'm afraid the King is in bed right now," Dodie replied. "As his duly appointed Minister, I will take the message on his behalf."



"That won't be necessary, Secretary," Queen Edessa interrupted as she suddenly swooped around a corner. "I will take the message."

"Not in bed with the King?" Secretary O'Doe blurted.

"Indeed not," Edessa replied icily.

"Your Majesty need not trouble herself," Dodie gently insisted. "This is what we have Cabinet Ministers for, to deal with trifles such as this. I'm sure it is a trivial matter, quite beneath Her Majesty's notice."

"It is a matter of great import," Theronmyathus corrected. "Urgently requiring the attention of the highest authority in the realm."

"With my husband indisposed, I am the highest ranking authority," Edessa pointed out. "Hand it over."

She took the scroll out of its tube, unrolled it, and read it.

"What's going on?" Minister Lana Lynne asked as she entered through a nearby door.

"The Queen is reviewing an urgent security report delivered by the Grand Marshal," Dodie whispered.

order the guards to find and detain adler quickly!!

"This is an extremely serious matter indeed!" Edessa declared as she finished reading the document. "I want Prince Adler taken and placed in custody immediately!"

"As you command," Theronmyathus croaked, with a crisp salute.