The Assassin Out of Place

**[The following reports were vocally recorded upon personal Scribing Stones, which were given to Tsayid scribes and converted into written text.]**

**[Some edits, placed within brackets, have been made to clarify statements for the records.]**

**[̸͕̜̲̥̝͙͉͊̋̾͗̂͐̋͠͝Q̶̠͎͇̻͛̕ủ̵̢̪͓͇̻̺͔i̴̧̲̩̪̞̤͎͕̻̖͚̗͚̲̔͛͒͋͊́̃̀͝ ̸̨͇͕͖̈̑̾͐͐̎͂͂̊͝͠ä̷̻̗̤̝͕̩͔͓̜̲͍̠̥́̇̆͗̒̓̆̆͜͠u̷̙̲͔͉̖̤͓̍̈́̾̄͒͝d̸̢̢̺̜̭͍̣̰̤̈̿̓̀̾̉̇̆͋̓͝͝͠ḭ̶͎͖̩̭̣͇̮͆͑̆̊̾̇́̿̾̿̀͗̐͘t̵̨̖̾̄͆̈́̑̊̄͘͝ ̵̢̡̰͉̺̞̫͍̗̯̹̠̘̹͔͑̏͛̎͗ȃ̷̝͚̪͖͑̿̌͂͆̍͋͘ͅư̶̡̮̦̞̋̉̕ḑ̴͍̖̳̻̍̄ͅį̶̢͇͈̘̼̞͈̠̠̯̋́͗͛̏͗̒͐͑̄̒̓̕ͅt̵͕̬͐̍̽͊̓̏̄̐̾̉͐̓́͌͠ ̵̛̛͚̮̥̰̥͇̓͌̅̇̉͐̿̅͒͐͝͝͝f̷̡̛̖̳̱̯̣̌̓̀̆̿͌̾̅͜í̴̢̡̖̤̟͖͚̰̣͓̫͉̐̐͗̀̈̄̀̆͘̕̕͝n̶̪̤̘̪̠̙̗͇̺̮͉͎̟͑̏̏͝ͅĭ̸̥̻̤͙̲̜̟̘̜̭̋͐̀̉̐̾̊̈̓͂̚̕͠ͅs̸̝͉͔̰̪̗̗̾̆̌̇͛͜ ̵̧̘̪̬͓̏̏̂͋̇͋͝͝ͅṗ̵̧̺̺̪͉̙̣͔̬͖̘͎̺̇̔ͅŗ̵̛̳͚̪̘̳̲̬̲̘̇́̂͐̔͝͠i̷̡̡̮͖̲͛͌͋̄̆̄͑̒n̶̳͖̫̪̟̈́̃̅̑̃c̸̛͓͈̩̳̝̻̲͉̝͖͈͎̒̄͗̈́̐͂̈̏̿͆̚͝ḯ̸͖̋̓͒̃̏͑̎̂̇̇̚͝p̵̧͎̪̭͈̉̓͋͘͝i̵̢̨͎̝͇̬͝ͅų̴̠̜͇͓͓̗̩̈́ḿ̶̟̆̀̐̂**

**[The previous text was a visually delivered death agent, designed to instantly kill any unauthorized personnel that looks upon it. If you are an unauthorized persons and were not killed by this text, please contact the Department of Security Bureau of Information Confidentiality immediately]**

**[Day 1 of Investigation]**

"This is Lieutenant Blanche Stonechain, recording my detective notes, as per Tsayid Department of Security guidelines. At 0900 on the 15th of Coldhardt, which is today, the divination wizards of the DSBCAO **[Department of Security Bureau of Counter-Assassination Operations]** learned of an assassination to occur 2 weeks ago, in Ujyek. **[A village in the Western territory of Adelion]**. As well, the diviners claimed their portents foretold the same assassin would kill the **same** target in the near future, and more importantly, within Tsayid borders.

Needless to say, we're all pretty spooked. Divination magic only tells us what will happen in the near future **[unless steps are taken to change the future with the information gained]** but these portents told of events that have already occurred. How can a past event occur 'in the future'? Very strange. Not to mention someone killing the same target twice.

And so the work fell to us on the ground team. I normally don't go on missions to Adelion since the war started **[Lt. Stonechain was a dwarf, which inquisitors tend to be more suspicious of]** but we needed the best; and the best wasn't available. Haha! **[Contrary to her statements, Lt. Stonechain was the most decorated agent in DSBCAO history, with over 100 years of service.]**

So, in 1 hour I'm hopping on the old Department express. Bouncing through the network from teleportation circle to teleportation circle, headed for Ujyek. I hear it's damn cold up there this time of year.

**[Day 4 of Investigation]**

"Got my hands dirty last night. Scoped out the village for a couple days and overheard talk of an attack on an inquisitor security checkpoint on the same night the assassination occured.

Heard there's a legate who'd seen everything, and thankfully getting him away from anti-magic fields and magic-sniffing hounds was pretty easy, since he was still in an inquisitor hospital. Guy's insides got so twisted up by a few high power Shatter spells that not even their clerics could patch him up in a single night. I'm honestly shocked he's even still alive.

As per Department protocol, I took him into custody. Restraining him with Manacles of Truth **[Handcuffs enchanted with Hold Person and Zone of Truth]** but choosing not to 'butter' him up **[tortured]** for interrogation; else he'll die from his other injuries. Besides, I've got a new idea I've been meaning to try out. Lets go chat with him now.

Lt. Stonechain: Now, Mr bruise-face. You ready to talk?

Legate: **[silence]**

S: C'mon now. You can get out of here and right back to killing babies or whatever you do. I just want to know what happened the night of the attack.

L: I... **[struggling against Zone of Truth]**..... I will not tell you what happened. Heretic dog.

S: **[Casts Charm Person]** C'mon now. **[Lt. Stonechain begins to lie]** You think I'm working for the Tsayids? I'm doing undercover work for the minister... If I do this right, I'll get to be a Black Cloak. So... help me out here.

L: Uh.... I don't remember exactly everything....

S: What **do** you remember?

L: The day before the parade, a strange old man with an eyepatch and a neck tattoo came to the checkpoint I was running. He showed one of my men a magic item and laughed in his face. He was immediately arrested and stuck in the hold beneath the guard shack.

S: Why didn't you take him to your high paladin?

L: He was busy with parade preparations. We figured he was a harmless idiot that found the items in woods or something. Happens in this part of the country. Folks from Heebo trying to stash their stuff on their way east to Adelion.

S: Then what happened?

L: Only a few hours later, a little red haired girl came to the checkpoint alone, and we caught her with a shitton of magic items. Said they were her dead mom's. I was certain she was magically disguised or imbued with fake youth... but nothing popped up under our magic detection amulets other than the items. She had strange stuff. A stick horse that could fly, a teddy bear...

S: Did you arrest her too?

L: I..... **[struggling against Zone of Truth]**

S: You can be honest here. I promise, no harm will come to you if you tell the truth.

L: ....I let her go. She didn't seem to know what they were capable of, so I took the items down into hold beneath the guard shack.

S: The guard shack with the old man?

L: Aye. He was kept in an anti-magic cell though. Locked up tight and away from any magic items.

S: How does this relate to the attack?

L: Later that evening, the girl came back. There were explosions in the woods, which scrambled us. The girl ran inside the shack and downstairs to the hold. Then she released the old man who grabbed his items and vanished.

S: Strange. And what of the little girl?

L: She fucking blew me up with magic. I'd be dead if it weren't for the clerics. She grabbed her items, disintegrated the wall and escaped into the night. That was the last thing I know.

S: Thank you. **[Sounds of Lt Stonechain cutting the Legate's throat can be heard]**

S: What a strange series of events... The little girl must be the assassin. Thinking aloud, my guess is that the old man knew he was a target and got himself arrested for protection. When she got to him, he was in an anti-magic cell, which meant she couldn't kill him with her spells and was forced to release him. Before she could kill him, he escaped. The only thing I can't figure out is... why did she bother letting them take her magic items if she was just going to make a full frontal attack?

No matter. I'll contact HQ, see if there are any reports of a strange little girl on a flying stick horse heading for Tsayid territory. Should be easy enough to locate.

**[Day 13 of Investigation]**

The transportation network is a wreck. Somehow the inquisitors have managed to track down the teleportation circles and destroy them. I'm having to make the trek on horseback for last part of the journey. I'll almost certainly be late.

HQ had no news on that little red-haired girl, the assassin, until yesterday. Her and a group of traveling companions crossed the border into the ghost fence near Suttonhithe without any papers of passage, claiming to be the Cloak Slayers. They're in Warmaster Florence's dungeon right now, awaiting confirmation of their identity. I've requested that they hold them until I get there, but it seems the orders to release them are coming directly from the damn Grand Sheriff himself. Never met that Severian fellow. Don't want to. But I've got a damn mission to complete! I just have to move faster. Almost there. **[Sounds of her horse picking up speed can be heard].**

**[Day 15 of Investigation]**

**[Lt Stonechain's labored breathing can be heard]**

Well. I **was** late. But things are starting to get interesting I think.

They released the Cloak Slayers, along with the assassin, into Tsayid territory. Thankfully, they used their papers of passage at each checkpoint and I was able to track them to Lanceletter Estate. Word on the street was the Cloak Slayers threw a big party, and the little girl was part of the act including some cake monster.

But I arrived late, and was forced to wait outside with the guests and keep an eye out for her after the party ended. But instead, I found her target! The old man with an eyepatch and a neck tattoo.

As per Department protocol, I tried to take the target into custody, but he attacked me! Got me good with some strange magic I don't recognize. But I got the handcuffs on him fast enough, and he couldn't cast spells while paralyzed **[Due to the Hold Person effect of the cuffs]**. So I've got him here now, and have some questions to ask him.

Lt. Stonechain: I understand you're scared, but you have nothing to worry about. I'm here to protect you from her.

Unnamed Man: If you wissshed to protect anyone from her, you have failed. But do not worry, there are more of usssss than you know at this party. It is our lasssst chance.

S: I don't understand. Your last chance to 'what'?

M: To destroy the Living Fisssssssure. Before sssshe can grow beyond our ability to kill her.

S: So **you're** the assassin?

M: One of many.

S: Why didn't you kill her in Ujyek when you had the chance?

M: I tried. Sssshe resssisssted all of my magicssss. At that point the guardsss were sssspilling down the sssstairssss, sssso I left her to die at their handssss, and came here in casssse that didn't work.

S: There are more assassins? How many?

M: Dozensssss.

S: Sent by whom?

M: A time long from now. One that sssssuffersss greatly, becausssse of her actionssss. Becaussse of her exisssstence.

S: What.... Uh... [silence for a few moments]. What do you mean by 'The Living Fissure'?

M: I need not explain anything to you. The otherssss out there, they will do what I could not. What the otherssss we ssssent could not.

S: And what about you? Aren't you worried about what's going to happen to you?

M: When they ssssstrike her down, the future will change sssssignificantly. Ssssso much that I, and the resssst of ussss, will ssssimply vanish before your very eyesssss. **[He begins laughing but is interrupted.]**

**[At this point in time, the Department of Security telepathically broadcasted a message warning everyone in the vicinity of the incoming 'Sky Dagger']**

M: **[Trashing against the cuffs, resisting the effects of the Hold Person enchantment]** NOOOOOO. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! HOW DID THEY KNOW!!!!!  **[Continues to scream]**

S: Quiet! What is that noise outside? **[Shuffling sounds can be heard over the Man's continued screaming. Water splashing sounds.]**

M: **[Stops screaming]** They come in through the mirrors. Don't look in the mirrors!

S: I drown in him. I drown in it.

M: They're inside all. Tapping on the glass.

S: The glass taps back.

**[The sound of Stonechain dropping the Scribing Stone onto the floor can be heard. Then the sounds of a door opening. The sounds of many footsteps inside the room. Then silence.]**

**Scribes notes: The Scribing Stone was recovered on the floor of a stable inside Lanceletter Estate manor. Lt Stonechain and the Unnamed Assassin vanished along with the rest due to the Sky Dagger event. At 0800 the morning after, the Cloak Slayers along with the girl referred to as 'The Living Fissure' exited the manor unharmed. They claimed to have been deep underground inside the Lord's vault when the sky dagger arrived. All records contained within this report are considered Top Secret and for reading only by The Grand Sheriff himself or those appointed by him.**

***Severian's notes: This document is to be destroyed and any who have read it terminated immediately. Any divinations regarding the girl are to be delivered directly to my office in the Black Spindle, and no others.***