therookery | report: mummy time

SUBJECT: There's a red lyrium in my mummy
PARTICIPANTS: Ilias Fabria, Kostos Averesch, Berenike Averesch (deceased). Sidony Venaras, Nikos Averesch, and Caspar Perakis were involved previously.
CLASSIFICATION: Private for the Division Heads and the head of Project Sashamiri
DATE FILED: Time is a flat circle. (This was logged out in April but no one involved would have ICly sat on the info for this long so OOCly we've decided to just ignore that fact as much as is feasible. Please assume the report is recent enough that it's still open to follow-up and Ilias & Kostos’s discussion of his findings occurred a few days to a week before its filing.)
STATUS: Complete
SUMMARY: Riftwatch members examined Berenike, an unusually aggressive mummy borrowed from the Grand Necropolis after the attack on the Inquisition there. They eventually found red lyrium hidden in the mummy, which seems to have caused her aggression and may provide further evidence of Venatori involvement with the Mortalitasi.

REPORT:

To whom it may concern,

At the request of Enchanter Averesch, I have for some months been examining the deceased, Berenike Averesch, whose remains were brought from the Grand Necropolis after the disturbance last year. The Enchanter’s own experiments confirmed that the source of the spirit’s distress was to be found in the body it inhabited; when the spirit was moved to an alternate host, it calmed considerably, only to become agitated again when returned.

Lady Venaras assisted invaluably in a more thorough dissection, with the support [ ‘support,’ 'surveillance' ] of Nikos Averesch and Caspar Perakis. However, even with our combined expertise, the source was not immediately evident. Only after repeated examination did I discover a small amount of red lyrium, hidden with a degree of finesse I do not believe can be attributed to a layman. As the Enchanter and myself are the only individuals with that expertise to have interacted with the deceased since her transfer from the Grand Necropolis, I must conclude that this alteration was performed there, by a member of the Mortalitasi order.

Given the state of Nevarran politics and the precarious position of my order thererin, I request that this matter be pursued with the utmost discretion. However, further investigation cannot be forestalled. I understand that Speaker Nancollas was under some scrutiny, as he was escorting the Inquisition party at the time of the attack. If his allegiances have strayed, he may not be the only one; if he is, we may earn more favor in Nevarra if we can be seen as the order’s ally in rooting out corruption, rather than its attacker.

I am available to assist with any further inquiries.

Sincerely,
Speaker Ilias Fabria

Attached: A set of carefully notated diagrams depicting the particular skin flap and stitch configuration in which the red lyrium was disguised. For posterity.

NEXT STEPS: Investigate possible connections between the Mortalitasi and the Venatori, likely via Speaker Tividar Nancollas and his Tevene lover Estrois; see below.

NOTES & LINKS:

Background:

Inquisition tour group attacked in the Grand Necropolis, causing extensive damage and souring their relationship with Nevarra
Redemption in Nevarra: Inquisition members investigate the above, bring home Berenike, and learn that their Mortalitasi tour guide, Tividar Nancollas, had a Tevene lover, Estoris
Party in Privantium: The Inquisition uncovers a rumor that there is more to be learned about Estoris in Qarinus (aka Ventus)

This Report:

Kostos reluctantly lets Ilias examine Berenike
Initial dissection, Sidony assists while Nikos & Caspar supervise
Ilias reports his findings to Kostos and all but accuses him of planting the evidence, yw