[He'd heard that the Ice Queen incident has taken its toll on her and everyone else, but unfortunately there's no time for rest. There are still other issues to address. But Qubine's more than willing to press on in her stead if he needs to.]
[Mavis smiles, a soft yet serious smile. She's back to her normal self now. And she's not going to let what happened get in the way of her doing her job. It's just one events among many.]
I'm doing fine! I've been back to my office for a couple of days now. And I think I've caught up with most of what I missed over the past week. [Well it's not really that she'd missed. Just that frozen!Mavis had different priorities.]
Anything specific you wanted to talk about?
[She can tell Qubine is eager to get into the action. But it's also her role as Guardian to make sure things are done the proper way. And she wants Qubine to have no doubt he can trust her to do what needs to be done, and to it efficiently.]
[No doubt Qubine was ready to get into action. However, he wouldn't have agreed to remain a deputy if he didn't trust Mavis. So he'll get right to the point.]
The Hands of Decay, primarily. Just before the whole "Ice Queen" thing started, I took the bounty for the "Fingers of Decay," who claimed they want to continue the work of the Hands of Decay.
I've looked at old newspapers and network posts to try to learn as much as I could about the Hands of Decay. I know that you played a large part in the investigation, and that Azalea was involved as well. How likely do you think it would be that they would resurface, or that there are more of these "Fingers" out there?
I am aware of that. [She's aware of all the bounties taken in Fayren. Admittedly she's always kept an eye on that, even before she became a guardian.]
It is true I was. I vouched to never let them take over Fayren if they ever were to resurface. I would like to say it's unlikely, but the truth is as long as there will be mages, there will be a chance for them to come back. I believe however that they're not as strong as they'd like their followers to believe they are. This is not to say that we have to stop being cautious about them. It simply means that I'm confident they can be stopped and will be if they ever dare try something again. I'm going to make sure of it. I don't want the people of Fayren to feel like they're stuck in the middle of a civil war or for the mages to feel like they have to hide.
As for the "Fingers", they lamely tried to use the fear the Hands of Decay had created. More might be out there who share the same ideas and coward methods. They might come out under that name or yet a new one. They'll be dealt with and arrested all the same.
I intended to tell you and the other Deputies that. So I'm glad you decided to contact me. I will talk to the other Deputies as well, especially Alice whom I feel shares the same concerns as you do.
[Qubine listens, and as much as he trusts Mavis, there's little more than reassurance that the Hands or Fingers of Decay would be dealt with if they were to resurface. Which is a good thing, but he was hoping for more specifics.]
From what I gathered, the Hands of Decay relied more on cunning than actual strength based on their methods. They remind me of the Serthis in my own world, and they're dangerous. They've given my clan more trouble than any of the Beastclan species.
Did the Hands have any other way of making themselves known in the open? Is there something specific I should look for in my patrols?
You'd be right about that. [Though 'cunning' might not have been the word she'd have chosen. Too flattering.] They did not rely on strength for they knew they would not stand a chance. Instead they relied on abducting mages and torturing them.
The surest way to find them is to look for any display, big or small, of hatred against mages or magic in general. It can be an artwork on a wall, a propaganda leaflet,... What made the Hands of Decay so difficult to find is that they hide in plain sight and that they always find citizens who support their ideals or share their fears.
This is why I try to focus on increasing the collaboration between mages and non mages rather than solely hunting down the Hands of Decay. But I agree we should still keep an eye out for any increase of crimes or segregation against mages. ...Segregation against any group, actually.
I remember you mentioned the Serthis before. Would you mind telling me more about them and how your Clan used to deal with them?
I will certainly keep an eye out for those. I'm particularly concerned
about what this may mean for Liora. I can't say if she's happy in this
world, but I'm sure she at least enjoys not being constantly targeted.
[Though he's somewhat concerned that the Hands of Decay would
actively try to avoid him on account of him being a big scary
dragon.]
The Serthis are one of several species that have united in a conflict
against dragonkind, which we collectively refer to as the Beastclans. The
other Beastclan species are Centaurs, Talonoks, Longnecks, Harpies, and
Maren.
The Serthis in particular have been dangerous to us. There are some that
are skilled with magic, and others that wield dual blades and spears. The
Serthis had killed several dragons from my clan, including my sons. In one
attack, they attacked our lair one night and poisoned one of our clan,
Amadeus. He would have died if Orphne, our apothecary, hadn't managed to
develop a cure in time.
Their latest attack was when they captured Shayla. I went to fight them,
and took quite a few cuts from their blades to get her back.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[Video] 31st
[He'd heard that the Ice Queen incident has taken its toll on her and everyone else, but unfortunately there's no time for rest. There are still other issues to address. But Qubine's more than willing to press on in her stead if he needs to.]
[Video] 31st
I'm doing fine! I've been back to my office for a couple of days now. And I think I've caught up with most of what I missed over the past week. [Well it's not really that she'd missed. Just that frozen!Mavis had different priorities.]
Anything specific you wanted to talk about?
[She can tell Qubine is eager to get into the action. But it's also her role as Guardian to make sure things are done the proper way. And she wants Qubine to have no doubt he can trust her to do what needs to be done, and to it efficiently.]
[Video]
The Hands of Decay, primarily. Just before the whole "Ice Queen" thing started, I took the bounty for the "Fingers of Decay," who claimed they want to continue the work of the Hands of Decay.
I've looked at old newspapers and network posts to try to learn as much as I could about the Hands of Decay. I know that you played a large part in the investigation, and that Azalea was involved as well. How likely do you think it would be that they would resurface, or that there are more of these "Fingers" out there?
[Video]
I am aware of that. [She's aware of all the bounties taken in Fayren. Admittedly she's always kept an eye on that, even before she became a guardian.]
It is true I was. I vouched to never let them take over Fayren if they ever were to resurface. I would like to say it's unlikely, but the truth is as long as there will be mages, there will be a chance for them to come back. I believe however that they're not as strong as they'd like their followers to believe they are. This is not to say that we have to stop being cautious about them. It simply means that I'm confident they can be stopped and will be if they ever dare try something again. I'm going to make sure of it. I don't want the people of Fayren to feel like they're stuck in the middle of a civil war or for the mages to feel like they have to hide.
As for the "Fingers", they lamely tried to use the fear the Hands of Decay had created. More might be out there who share the same ideas and coward methods. They might come out under that name or yet a new one. They'll be dealt with and arrested all the same.
I intended to tell you and the other Deputies that. So I'm glad you decided to contact me. I will talk to the other Deputies as well, especially Alice whom I feel shares the same concerns as you do.
[Video]
From what I gathered, the Hands of Decay relied more on cunning than actual strength based on their methods. They remind me of the Serthis in my own world, and they're dangerous. They've given my clan more trouble than any of the Beastclan species.
Did the Hands have any other way of making themselves known in the open? Is there something specific I should look for in my patrols?
[Video]
The surest way to find them is to look for any display, big or small, of hatred against mages or magic in general. It can be an artwork on a wall, a propaganda leaflet,... What made the Hands of Decay so difficult to find is that they hide in plain sight and that they always find citizens who support their ideals or share their fears.
This is why I try to focus on increasing the collaboration between mages and non mages rather than solely hunting down the Hands of Decay. But I agree we should still keep an eye out for any increase of crimes or segregation against mages. ...Segregation against any group, actually.
I remember you mentioned the Serthis before. Would you mind telling me more about them and how your Clan used to deal with them?
[Video]
I will certainly keep an eye out for those. I'm particularly concerned about what this may mean for Liora. I can't say if she's happy in this world, but I'm sure she at least enjoys not being constantly targeted.
[Though he's somewhat concerned that the Hands of Decay would actively try to avoid him on account of him being a big scary dragon.]
The Serthis are one of several species that have united in a conflict against dragonkind, which we collectively refer to as the Beastclans. The other Beastclan species are Centaurs, Talonoks, Longnecks, Harpies, and Maren.
The Serthis in particular have been dangerous to us. There are some that are skilled with magic, and others that wield dual blades and spears. The Serthis had killed several dragons from my clan, including my sons. In one attack, they attacked our lair one night and poisoned one of our clan, Amadeus. He would have died if Orphne, our apothecary, hadn't managed to develop a cure in time.
Their latest attack was when they captured Shayla. I went to fight them, and took quite a few cuts from their blades to get her back.