User:Tarkisflux/sandbox/Asterfete's AM Writeup

Captain,

This incident report was recovered from administration. It doesn't shed much new light on the event that cost us Krozar, but some odd comments in the report pointed us to Asterfete's student record, and that got us something we weren't expecting. It turns out Asterfete hasn't been here since admission on an unprecedented MMS research assistant grant, he's been here as a MMS research subject. You know what it's like getting research results out of them, but I got a prelim from his first year here somehow. If this was where he was when he got here, well, you'll see. I've left some additional notes for you below.

Recommendations: recruit, terminate, or leave the hell alone.

Captain's note: We've been trying to turn him since we found out it's a bitch to detect his magic in the first place. Bard or not, that's a useful thing to have.

Incident Report

Approximately two days ago a wizard student (Krozar of Vewway) died during a final year divination exercise. Krozar targeted the aide (Asterfete Taessos) instead of his designated partner, in violation of his instructions. Shortly after completing the spell, Krozar began screaming, fell into a blind panic, and collapsed. Healing potions were administered with no effect. He was pronounced beyond the reach of available healing shortly after.

Witness Statements: Several witnesses overheard Krozar saying that he would "get inside Fete's* head" during the exercise. Many of these witnesses also report Asterfete looking directly at Krozar immediately before he fell into panic.

*Note: "Fete" is used to reference Asterfete mockingly. In a distant and little used dialect, the word translates roughly into "party". Many students find this amusing, given his often sad and withdrawn temperament and willingness to depress a tavern full of students with a particularly sad musical set. This is only included here as it suggests that Krozar may have disliked Asterfete, and may have been attempting a prank of some sort instead of the indicated exercise.

Investigation Results: Detailed detection spells could find no evidence that Asterfete cast magic of any sort at the time. <REDACTED> conducted the examination herself, as per standing orders in his file. Examination of Krozar indicated that only spells of his own casting were active at his time of death.

Conclusion: We find no evidence of wrong doing by Asterfete, and no evidence of intent to harm by Krozan. Recommend immediate reinstatement of Asterfete, granting of posthumous degree to Krozan, and transfer of Krozan's body to necromancy department per admission contract.

Krozan wasn't a well known member of ours captain. If Aster did cause this, and after reading the research report below you might think it possible, he may have identified more of us.

Research Data: Subject "Happy"

Personal history: Subject claims to have had a depressed childhood, despite being rather wealthy and well cared for. Subject claims that depression, a sense of entitlement, and ill-advised experimentation with magic and particular music types led to an emotional and spiritual break.

After the break, visual acuity suffered significantly. Subject can see reasonably well in bright light, but quickly loses the ability to make objects out in even moderate light. Subject claims to see "the darkness inside all of us" under these conditions, and this blurs the edges of the object to a large degree.

Subject now claims to have been "whiny and privileged" during the time leading up to the break, and generally regrets what he did to himself. Goal of current schooling and submission to research is to find a way to "fix" himself.

Log, Day 20

Initial results are interesting. Summary follows:

• Subject has a strong affinity for illusions and enchantments, common among bards. Darkness affinity is surprising, however. Subject is also unable to generate light effects of any variety, including from items.
• Subject's magic is not consistently detectable, for reasons that still elude us. I am more likely to detect them than my assistants, however, which suggests that strong casters are more likely to pierce the effect. Subject claims to be unaware of this effect.
• Subject notices every divination sensor that could detect them, and can even detect them when they appear. This may explain subject's strong interest in divinations, despite their strengths in other areas.
  • Propose teaching subject to ignore these sensors (they have a terrible habit of waving at them presently), and use them to tighten security in some locations.
• Subject notices when they are directly targeted with divination spells. Claims that they are keeping us from seeing what they saw during their break, that it travels with them still. It is presently unknown what they mean by this.
  • Further study required.
• Subject suffers the same visual problems when subjected to any blur or concealment effect, not simply poor lighting.

These conditions are extremely rare, and have not previously been documented as occurring together. No documentation of them occurring on a caster of so little power exists at all. There is a strong likelihood that the condition is permanent, or otherwise requires stronger magics than those available to reverse. Recommend redirecting personal efforts towards making the most of his condition, and seeing what we can learn from it.

<faint notes in the margin> We'd better start indoctrinating him against the Enforcement Council, and proofing him against their standard turning methods. We can't risk them getting him before we better understand his abilities.