New Avalon

[CalamityJade]

"Well, unless you're looking for ancient Architect priests, I doubt that symbol is going to help you much. From what we've gathered, it was some kind of guard insignia for the guy that founded New Avalon. Not much help in the here and now, I'm afraid."

[Hammer Sister]

"It may not help much, but I prefer not to leave an avenue of inquiry unexplored; sometimes, the least obvious clue proves the most vital."

[CalamityJade]

"Hmm..." She looked at the sketch again. "Well, other than it being tied to that particular group, it's also in several murals that depict the Keystone of the city. Still, odd to think a group of kidnappers would be grabbing someone like her. Some desparate Waiting group, maybe."

[Hammer Sister]

"That is certainly a possibility," Rob agrees. "You say this symbol appears in several Keystone murals; do the murals have any special meaning?"

[CalamityJade]

"For the most part, they depict the building of the city around the Keystone...though most of the murals with that image depict people standing around the Keystone, usually wielding some sort of weapon. It's where the theory on the Architect's guards came from." She moved to the tablet that was on the large table, which had an image of a five-sided shape on some sort of pedestal with people standing around it. And there was the symbol from the jacket over each of the people's heads. "They were also thought to be defenders of the city, but if that was true, why do they only show up around the Keystone."

[Hammer Sister]

"It could be they attach a significance to the Keystone beyond what the average citizen does," Rob theorises. "By my understanding, the Keystone is something that powers the city via Pulse, allowing it to flourish; to some however, it could represent the 'spirit' or 'will' of the city itself. And it's possible that among that number, there are those that take it a little too seriously; the history of humanity is replete with examples of cults that committed all manner of crimes in the name of the 'greater good'."

[CalamityJade]

"Not a bad theory. Problem with that being no one's been using this symbol for some centuries from these records. Though why would they take Mordrianna? She's one of those types that fosters that sort of thinking. Telling people their 'path' so they can be welcomed?" Dr. Valkin snorted. "Hogwash if you ask me."

[Hammer Sister]

"I don't buy into that nonsense either; the problem is, rationality doesn't always factor into people's behaviour."

[CalamityJade]

"The way I see it, there is very little possibility that someone like that would have the money to own a zepplin. Besides, from what I hear, Mordrianna isn't telling 'paths' anymore."

[Hammer Sister]

"Wealth and rationality don't always go hand-in-hand; some people are very good at hiding the crazy. But equally, I can't ignore the possibility someone is using this symbol to throw people off the scent. Either way, it's part of my investigation."

Speaking of throwing off the scent, there's the note telling me to stay away from the Roidmets... still, not worried about that now; I doubt I'll be speaking to another Roidmet for a while yet anyway.

[CalamityJade]

"Got a point there. A few months ago I had some rude rich guy trying to get a better look inside the ruins. Thought that just because he was some big-shot welcomed that he could go wherever her wanted. Took almost an hour to get him to leave so we could get working again."

[Hammer Sister]

Interesting...

"Almost an hour? Admirable tenacity, if nothing else. What was his name?"

[CalamityJade]

"Um...Roidmet? You know, the ones that own all those trucks? But it was the other one. Think he ran some kinda security thing. Didn't seem important once we got him off the dig site."

[Hammer Sister]

Obsidian... Why does this keep coming back to the Roidmet family?

"Ah yes, I think I know who you mean. Not sure what within the ruins would be so attractive to someone who runs a security firm; from what you say, he wasn't here on business."

[CalamityJade]

"Welll, unless you call him trying to 'get a better look at something' is his business. Also something about 'proving a point', but I didn't want to ask. I just wanted him out of my dig site." She hands the sketch back. "So, anything else you think helps find some people kidnapping a fate-spinner?"