ph_logs | [Closed] Inner Sanctum

[Closed] Inner Sanctum

Who: Dr. Elias Coldwood (

arcanegrasp) & Shen Qingqiu (

xiaoxiuya)
What:The investigation of Dr. Coldwood's home
When:Early December
Where: The Lighthouse
Warning(s): [ Will add as they become relevant! ]

"...No, I understand completely, ma'am, but surely you can just tell them it's a bad idea, couldn't you?"

Dr. Elias Coldwood paces the living room of the lighthouse, sending stone in hand and brows furrowed so deeply that it looks as though it could give him a headache, growing more exasperated by the minute. Adventuring parties, goddesses mercy, he thought he'd be free of the scourge of adventuring parties getting tangled in anything they could find in such a small town, but apparently he'd have no such luck. It seems like the off-worlders have been inspiring the locals to take up arms and carve their own paths where they're able. Where there is danger, there are people who want to face it, and where those people are, there is a desperate need for information so they don't get themselves killed for no reason. Even in the evening hours, apparently.

"Right, of course. Yes, no, I understand," Elias sighs. "I'll be there shortly. ...Yes, yes, I'll bring the antivenom, just in case. Goodbye."

The sending stone dims, and Dr. Coldwood lets out a short groan that is nothing short of profoundly irritated.

"When it rains, it pours, does it not?" He half-jokes, tugging on his coat and collecting things off of a cluttered end-table, snagging a few journals off of the bookshelf. "First the roof leak, now the adventurers... I swear, they can't leave well enough alone with that goddesses-forsaken wyvern. I suppose that's what happens when a small town gets one, though. No one knows how to behave when megafauna get involved."

The ins and odds are stored in his satchel, which is slung over his shoulder. An apologetic smile back towards Shen Qingqiu follows it.

"Feel free to take the rest of the evening to yourself, if you'd like. We'll pick back up where we left off tomorrow. Just be certain to lock the door behind you, if you don't mind. Enjoy your night, my friend!"

And, in his great hurry, he barely waits for a response before he's out the door. Boot-clad footfalls fade distantly once they're off of that first stone step.

-

Without Dr. Coldwood's presence inside of it, flitting about to and fro amid all his work, the house seems shockingly still. A long couch and aged armchair sit before a fireplace, old embers hidden behind a short metal screen. The dining table, mostly cleared through the help of his assistants in organizing, sorting, and filing his collection of notes away, bears a single magically-lit lamp. To the far end of the room, round stairs begin to climb the wall upwards, towards the lighthouse, to Dr. Coldwood's private dwellings, then further up to the lighthouse's lamp itself. On the other end, a sloping stairwell to the basement descends into darkness, a lamp sitting on a short shelf to be taken down when something is needed.

The entire cluttered-but-comfortable home is, for one of the first times that isn't fleeting moments, left open to prying eyes. The only question is the same beckoned by an empty canvas to its artist: where to begin?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The two make it back well in time that, from any supernatural senses, Elias is still within the home, as well as the "other resident." After all, what rush is there? He hadn't heard anyone leaving his house, of course; he'd only found an opened window that, in this lighthouse's old age, surely must have swung open on it's own.

He'd just begun to leave, with his bag in tow, when he spots the hasty approach of the two enforcers. Dense brows crumple in confusion and surprise in equal parts, especially as they draw closer to his home, not bypassing it for something deeper within the Bluffs.

"Hello, constables!" Elias calls over, shifting his bag to his shoulder to wave as he pulls the door closed behind him. "What's the hurry? Is everything alright?"

For the second time today Shen Qingqiu alights from his sword -- and this time he leaves it hovering in mid-air, while he himself approaches Elias. "Dr. Coldwood," he says calmly, his face stern. "It is with great regret that I must inform you that you are under arrest, on suspicion of ties to the cult of Nyarlathotep."

Valdis isn't quite prepared to do anything yet, even after confirming there is some sort of weird creature in the house and would have preferred to speak with Elias before doing anything hasty, but it seems Shen Qingqiu has other plans as he immediately steps forward and declares he's arresting Elias.

She's not sure he has the authority to do that since he's not an enforcer.

"Hold on a moment," she says. "Dr. Coldwood, it has come to my attention that there is a strange creature in your basement, and artifacts were found containing the language of the Chaos God. We are hoping to question you further, but first I need to know if the creature presents a danger at this moment or if it is contained."

"Wh--- you can't possibly---"

Elias sputters, alarmed, but tries to settle to listen to Valdis. None of what she says soothes the nerves whatsoever, though; the confusion stays just as present, but the notion of a creature seeps something much more bleak into his expression. His hand on the strap of his bag tightens firmly.

He looks to Shen Qingqiu for a moment. Try as he might to give him a scathing, irate glance, all it manages to be is deeply, utterly betrayed.

"...She's contained," Elias answers, after a moment of distinct hesitation. "I haven't got any idea what artifacts you mean to tell me you've found, but--- there is no danger present at this moment. I've got her well under control."

To his credit, Shen Qingqiu does lower his gaze in response to that look, acknowledging the betrayal. He maintains, will maintain, that it was necessary for the safety of the town, but it cannot be denied: he did Elias really dirty on this one. That's just something he's going to have to live with!

"What is she, exactly?" is the question he's been burning to ask. "Where did she come from? And what is that language she speaks?"

She. The creature is female, which seems more important than the fact that Shen Qingqiu betrayed Elias, or at least that melancholy that comes from Elias implies this quite heavily. Still, Elias isn't acting like he has something to be ashamed of, if anything, he seems concerned about the creature he has contained.

"If she's safe, and we are safe from her, then I see no need to continue the conversation here."

She eyes Elias.

"Should she become a threat to the town, I will not hesitate to kill her."

This is the truth just as much as it is said to see how he reacts.

"I--- I beg of the two of you to reconsider."

Elias lifts his hands before either of them move to take a step closer to him, the most he's ever done to resist arrest before. Panic rises in his voice, a waver that cracks that somberness easily. He doesn't move to run--- he knows better than that--- but it doesn't take an expert's eye to know just how cornered he's feeling at the moment.

"I have to tend to her nightly. I'm not certain that she could be killed permanently, and it's--- it's for the best to keep her placated, in the event that she returns the same as any of us. I don't know how long you intend to keep me, but if it's going to be for a time, I'll need to ensure she's fed."

He swallows roughly. A touch of bitterness seeps into his voice.

"If it's all the same to the both of you, of course."

"I will take responsibility for feeding her, so long as doing so will not endanger innocent third parties," Shen Qingqiu says evenly. To Valdis he adds, "This is my investigation. It's my responsibility."

And to Elias he sighs and says, "As for the other evidence against you, we can discuss that more securely at the station. Will you come with us now?"

Valdis looks as Shen Qinqiu out of the corner of her eye, keeping the rest of her attention on Elias. She's not keen on leaving the creature to its own devices, even if Dr. Coldwood believes she is contained.

"Shen Qingqiu will follow your instructions in her care, but I'm afraid we do have to take you in."

She doesn't like seeing the betrayal in Elias' eyes, the shallow fear of someone with secrets and resigned that some were revealed. He's not arguing, he's not fighting, he's not making excuses or lies. She thought she would feel better about finding a tangible link to the cult, but she doesn't.

"We'll finish this conversation at the office."

Elias looks between the two, jaw tight and posture tense, but... at last, he relents. The fist clasped tightly to the front of his door loosens, and falls free. He doesn't abandon his bag, but makes no moves to reach into it. As far as he can see it, any attempts to push back simply isn't worth the trouble. Not with so much of his work hanging so delicately in the balance.

He sighs, and nods ahead.

"Lead the way, and I'll follow. If you'll give me the mercy of a dignified walk there, I'd prefer not to be cuffed." He lets out a short scoff of a laugh. "Not as though there are many places to hide if I tried to run, are there?"

The joke, if it is one, is flat.

"I appreciate it, Elias," Shen Qingqiu says quietly, and at last calls his sword back to its scabbard. He does not make any move to grab or even touch Elias as the three of them arrange themselves in a loose marching order, but he does keep an eye on him for any signs of spellcasting or the decision to run. There's no malice in it; he simply considers this too part of his duty.

Once Elias has been properly booked in and Shen Qingqiu has made his report to Cerrit (which involves explaining a few things to Valdis, who was apparently under the impression that he was trying to make some kind of citizen's arrest, awkward) he returns to show Elias the evidence against him. The dagger and the journal.

"I found these in your bedroom," he says quietly. "Do you know anything about them?"

Valdis settles in the background letting Shen Qingqiu take the lead since this is his investigation, but she's here to support him and notify him if she senses anything strange from Elias or as backup in case she sees a better line of questioning.

The booking is a quiet, stiff affair. Any reports read of Elias' initial arrest would remark on his willingness to proceed, his lack of dragging his feet, but this time, though not obstinate, he's reluctant, lost in thought and needing a push into each task.

This, of course, changes when the evidence is offered.

He's tense, as he reaches for that bloodied journal, thumbing through a few pages. He doesn't answer the question at first, skimming the pages instead, before he looks to the dagger. A short glance over it is all he takes, before he looks back to the journal, closing the leather cover gently.

"This is mine," he states, a quiet, simple fact. "One of my older personal writings, from several years ago. A collection of private notes and musings."

A beat. A flicker of a glance, back to the dagger.

"...I'm loosely familiar with the weapon as well, yes. You'd said you found it in my bedroom?"

"I did," he confirms. "Do you recognize these runes inscribed on the handle? What do you suppose they mean?"

Valdis already confirmed that they match the text of the Necronomicon, but he wants to see if Elias will admit that. Or if he even knows...the triumph of winning has faded, and Shen Qingqiu is starting to find something very strange about this whole affair.

These don’t seem to be the words of a man trying to lie. The little he’s said so far has been true, but it feels off, as if he didn’t really remember he had these items. It reminds her a little of the man with the match found at the burning of Larkin’s manor.

He hadn’t much memory of that event. The difference is that Elias has admitted the journal is his, but the writings are older, and this knife is apparently only vaguely familiar to him. Neither of those seem to be lies, but she’s running out of ideas on who could be the mastermind in league with the demons.

“How long has it been since you have seen either?”

"Years," Elias explains, opening the journal once more, tabbing to the final page of it. "It's been... six years, since I'd put this one away. I don't often revisit them unless the need arises."

He then turns his attention to the dagger. He seems resistant to the idea, but eventually pushes himself to lift it, the deep frown on his face evident even beneath his beard. His thumb traces the side of the blade. "Throdogoth ph'nglui vulgtmor," he reads aloud. There's no hesitation in the pronunciation; it all flows easily, with practice. He abandons it as quickly as he'd lifted it. "Glory in sacrifice."

There's a beat. That tension doesn't ease, even with his gaze averted from the dagger once more.

"I suppose it would be too convenient to believe if I told the two of you that I do not know what this language is, nor--- why I know it. But that is what it says."

Shen Qingqiu exchanges a look with Valdis, seeing his own discomfort mirrored on her face. "Do you remember where you got this dagger? How long have you had it?" he asks.

Valdis doesn’t like the memory issues one bit. It reminds her too much of how Fenrir messed with her head, destroying everything to ensure she and the others had no memories to fall back on. She doubts Elias did this to himself and still feels nothing like a lie, only hesitation and perhaps a little fear.

Hearing the words leaving his mouth along with the translation just deepens the mystery. If Elias is the Chaos God, his powers are stronger than her own if he’s able to deceive her so well. Somehow she doubts that is the case.

“And do you have more recent journals?”

"I don't recall where the dagger came from, no. I found it some time ago, and... to be frank, looking at it isn't a pleasant experience. I'm not sure if either of you two have felt anything like that?" Elias asks, a gentle, hopeful edge to the notion.

"But, as for journals, I do. One is here, in fact!" A second is taken to fish into his bag, and a newer notebook, though no less battered from use and time, is offered, left on the table for the two to look at their leisure. "Though this one isn't all that old, I'll admit, so it's mostly field notes, occasional reminders, budgeting, and, ehm. Grocery lists. But! You're welcome to see it, all the same."

Edited 2025-02-19 00:29 (UTC)

Shen Qingqiu checks the journal, but doesn't see any sign of suspicious writing about the goddesses or mysterious eldritch runes. He gives it back to Elias with a thoughtful frown.

"Doctor Coldwood..." he asks slowly. "Do you ever find yourself missing time? You find yourself somewhere and you can't recall how you got there, or perhaps you suddenly look up in the middle of a task and realize you have no idea what you've been doing? Does that sound familiar?"

Valdis doesn’t need to check the journal herself, she simply reads Shen’s emotions as he looks through it, but she’s not surprised when he finds nothing.

Elias’s hopeful glance doesn’t make her feel any better about this, but she has nothing to add to her companion’s question right now. Rather, she lets the wheels turn in her head, trying to find some connection somewhere between what she’s read in old files.

"Well, I think this does happen to... everyone to an extent, doesn't it?" Elias gives an uneasy chuckle. "I've not got any notable missing periods of time, if that should put your mind to ease."

He stows the newer journal once more, taking the time to consider that, his frown turning thoughtful.

"I assume you mean to think that I've got a lapse in time from finding the blade," Elias says, casting one more glance to it. "And while I admit I don't recall where it's come from, I don't find myself missing any time that I could have found such a thing. One day it was simply... there, in a stored box of my old things. As if it'd always been there. As it strains the mind to look at for any long period of time, I... saw to it that I wouldn't accidentally stumble upon it again."

"I see."

Well, this just got a whole lot more complicated. They found someone with ties to the cult, all right, but the gaps in Elias's memory raise the possibility that he is only a mind-wiped stooge with planted evidence. But at the same time, a surviving cultist might have chosen to have their memories wiped, turning them into a sleeper agent...It's just not possible to be sure with the information they have.

"We may have more questions about the dagger and your journal later," he says quietly, returning the dagger to its bag. "But for now, why don't you tell me how to look after that creature of yours? It seemed rather volatile when I encountered it earlier."

Valdis glances at her partner, assuming he's thinking the same things she is. Elias does not seem to be the mastermind, but there is solid evidence pointing to him being one of the remaining cultists. She's tempted to go speak with Linette on the matter, if anyone would know something about the cultists, it would be Linette.

Her attention shifts to Elias when Shen asks about the creature.

"Before that, what is she?"

The creature didn't feel like something natural or normal, and based on Elias's ties to the cult, she's not certain it's capable of being a kind one.

The question brings about Elias' first signs of any true, sincere reluctance. He tenses, and for a moment, it seems as though he might fall silent, perhaps demand someone to be in the presence of what he says, or try to lie and dismiss whatever the creature is outright, to come up with some intricate excuse that would justify it's existence.

It's written all over his face that he cannot find such a justification, though, save for the truth.

"...She's something entirely unique, in and of herself. I've never seen anything like her in all my life," Elias begins, quieter now. Almost somber. "I don't entirely recall how I came to find her. It's little more than a dream to me. A... seed, if you'd believe it. Almost a strange growth of something our world could not comprehend, and the promise that its potential far surpasses its meager current form, if given the time, space, and blood it requires to grow."

A beat. He takes in a slow breath, and lets out a shakier one.

"You two must understand, that--- that before you'd arrived, the people could not hear from the goddesses any longer. Not even the most devout among us could reach them. With the silence and the barrier, and everything I'd done to try to test it, it seemed as though the goddesses were simply... gone. That we were trapped at the focal point of a world-wide calamity, and that the Four Mothers would never be able to save their people from it again. Whatever contained us, many of us had come to understand that mortals could not surpass it."

He hesitates, but flips to the bloodied page of his journal on the table. His expression is grim when he raises his attention back to Shen Qingqiu and Valdis.

"When you are faced with an empty pantheon, a seemingly doomed world, and given a seed of divinity... what choice would you have but to plant it? To raise a godling all the way to its ascension, so that we might, someday, be free of this curse?"

[Closed] Inner Sanctum

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