#baronyofthesilverwolf

Nadeen kens the objects in the hold one by one, searchin for those tale tell patterns of the web work

And yes, waits for her baron to pass on news.

Vases. Wooden horse figurines. Paintings.

Not every item, no. But many. Each delicately laced with glamour that Nadeen now can recognize the feel of, the web of chicanery that hooks into each of the pieces of artist dross, tying together in a net, or a shawl, or shroud... that overlies the entire manor. It takes time, and focus - the work is subtle and hidden - Nadeen finds her head smarting with the effort, but even as she works at it, it becomes easier to see, a study in gremayre that her earlier mentors might have applauded.

She can't miss a one, she sees if there is a focal point, if the others lead to a nexus. There are patterns. Her house knows them better than most

There... there it is. A central piece, the linchpin. She follows the threads - to find herself at a locked door. All of the strands lead behind her, culminating in Calanthe's workshop.

"Unlock" she dictums the door

The elaborate lock with the hawk design on it resists her Dictum... not a simple lock this, it seems to have a chimerical component as well. Perhaps Nockercraft.

A BROW

She outranks it, does she not?

A breath. Then she omens the lock instead to see if there is a clue to it

"By the will of Dahlia, reveal your ways and means to me"

The lock rattles... angrily, if a lock can sound angry. It was made to work a certain way, and this is not the key!

With reluctance, and a series of clicks, the doorknob turns... Nadeen sees a hint of an omen - a certain key, bound by bloodline - SHE is not the one that this lock is meant to open for... and it fades.

But, the door is open.

She's been in this room before, it's vaguely familiar. There is the worktable, the over-the-top accoutrement that Calanthe uses to work her spells with showy flair - unless that was just a show put on for Nadeen? Hard to tell. It's dark within, and silent. Lamps are unlit, or there is a switch on the wall.

She feels a bit confused, she's been here before? Of course she has.. "Dahlia... help me"

that feeling of a cool chill again, something tracing across her skin, a sensation like creeping tendrils. It guides her, tugging, hairsbreaths of the way...

...Until she approaches a rectangle that is covered with a black silk cloth, blocking out all light from within.

It glows with glamour.

"Thank you" She moves to it, then takes a cloth and uses that to lift the black silk cloth

Break the bonds and set me free. Comes the cold whisper.

"Who goes there?! Name yourself!" Comes the very much not a whisper, an order barked from the doorway, as Thane Danica aims into the dark room.

A click as the hammer cocks back on her firearm.

"Dancia, thank goodness you're here. " Nadeen says "did you catch the thief?"

She moves to see the Thane and frowns "I don't see him with you. I think he was working alone"

"Please tell me you caught him?"

A curse and she swings her weapon quickly to the side and down, away from the Reeve. "Reeve Nadeen. The wards were breached on Calanthe's private study."

How did she miss that?

The thane continues, urgently. "Did you see the culprit? Which way did he go?!"

"That would explain the figure I saw coming in," She says "At first I thought the Dame herself had returned... I didn't get a good look, too many shadows... at first I thought a sluagh, but he , I think it was a he, didn't seem slender enough and all I could make out was the eyepatch and then off he went " she gestures "Racing right past me "

She glowers. "We will find him, Reeve. Rest assured to THAT. Linnea is reporting soon -she was further away. Secure the crime scene until her arrival. We must find him, and anything he stole."

"I shall. Go, quickly. "

She nods, and leaves - even as she goes, Nadeen can hear her muttering into her phone, or radio, calling in backup to search for this one-eyed man... or sluagh.

Nadeen is left alone. To secure the scene, before any other guards appear to check for what may, or may not, have gone missing. The answer to that, is now up to her.

Chronos will be the end of me, damn it . But I have to hope that doesn't come into play and she takes the picture and it's case

She's never seen anyone here use Chronos. Then again, it's a Noble's art, and Aiden doesn't practice much of any magic.

She takes her prize out discretely

out of the room and whispers "Dahlia, if you're still with me, do I need to break just the glass of this, or the other things too?"

'shatter.... shatter... shatter...' the whisper sounds eager, and the cool feel draws up goosebumps on her arms as feeling of chill glamour accompanies the invisible voice.

Photo cube feels cold in her hands, as if ice instead of glass.

She goes to her seldom used room in this place and looks for something hard to break it against!

The chill that follows her makes her want to shiver in anti....

...

(SAY IT!)

...pation!

Nadeen gathers the object in her hands and dictums "REMEMBER!" Then throws it against the wall!

The chill feel of glamour that was flowing around her whips into a fever pitch as she gathers it up, and then the crystal block SHATTERS into a thousand pieces as it slams into the wall! An explosion of glamour shoves Nadeen backwards even as the glass falls to the floor in a tinkling shower of crystal rain.

Answering POPS echo all around her - a crack of wood! A shatter of porcelain! A frightened shriek from someone down the hall - Bluebell? Answering calls, confusion! Glamour ripples through the air!

From the floor where the glass lays in a pool of tiny fragments and larger shards, a figure slowly forms like vapor rising off a cold surface, breath in the winter. It forms into a figure, lissome and female, with long hair flowing around the shoulders.

She recognizes the figure, as it forms the shape of Dahlia Lowell... but it does not stop there.

Eyes open - or where there would be eyes, are two hollows that somehow still turn to and focus right upon Nadeen. A mouth, that curves into a delighted smile.

Rising up to cover the figure are creeping vines and plant tendrils, winding around and sinking into the figure as if tattooed upon it's skin... hands open, and nails spread to points as sharp as any thorn, as blood-red as any rose.

"Free. FREE. I am free... and I will have that which is mine."

It.... She... sinks back through the wall behind her, trailing vines that writhe like tentacles, leaving only the broken glass as a trace.

"Dahlia.. don't hurt the..." Then it's too late.

"Damn it" She moves quickly towards the outside to see BLuebell

"Come down from there, it's okay!" Julius pleads with Bluebell - somehow there is a rabbit lodged behind the top of a grandfather clock - how she got up there is anybody's guess, but she doesn't look like she wants to come down anytime soon!

"Oh dear, oh dear...." Marigold is a flutter, unsure of where to start cleaning.

Broken porcelain vase, a painting ripped to shreds, here a marble horse sculpture split in two and started to break down into dust!

Other art is intact, but each one that Nadeen earlier visited and identified as part of Calanthe's web, they are all destroyed...

I can't say I'm sorry... yet "What happened? " Her eyes widened. SHe must be surprised as any "is everyone okay?"

"Baroness!" Linnea strides through the chaos. "Are you alright?" The troll moves to her side, looking over Nadeen in concern.

"I'm well, what happened?" she repeats

"Danica told me there was an intrusion. We must assume that the hold is under attack unless proven otherwise. Where are the childlings? Is everyone safe?"

Linnea's phone buzzes - she pulls it out - and Nadeen can glimse the name of the caller - it's Calanthe.

The troll looks, frowns, and makes a choice - sliding the phone back in her pocket unanswered for now. "What should we do, Baroness?"

"See to the children's safety first. Second, Make sure none of the horses , particualrly the foal, or dogs have been taken. Whoever did this knows we had a kennel so must have used something that hides scent or theyd have raised a ruckus. I do not think we are under attack but youre' right we must assume it so put up safety protocals. "

"Yes, my Lady." The troll moves to do just that.

Marigold grips the rolling pin she has fetched - french style, not simple wood, but heavy marble that keeps delicate pastry dough from warming. "Something is not right. Well, anyone who wants to harm my babies, will go through me." It seems clear that EVERYONE here is one of her babies.

Julius has given up trying to coax Bluebell down for now, and explains to Nadeen that the wards went off, and then soon after, implosions -- explosions - he's not quite sure what, but nearly a dozen pieces of art destroyed.

"You don't think it's someone upset about the Auction, do you?"

"It's not like we're reselling stolen Nazi art or Confederate memorabilia or anything controversial or stolen. I mean, not that -I- was aware of." The steward satyr puzzles.