Morg van Destro

In the name of the Truth and the Root, the Department of Policies hereby brings charges against the current Lord of the Department of Zoology, Fidelco Redolloc. This was not a decision made in grace, but one preceded by several investigations and inquiries following the events that took place June 17th in the year 1843. To further inform on the decision, a series of investigative reports, helmed and penned by I, Lord Barthomeloi Aristeia of the Department of Policies, have been compiled for presentation and evaluation.

June 15, 1843
It has been brought to my attention that over the course of several months, perhaps even longer, that a prolonged series of disappearances has plagued not only Great Britain, but several neighboring countries. As you are aware, I would not bring this to your attention were the instrument behind it not mystical in origin. However, there is a far more pressing matter than that entwined within.

Amidst my preliminary investigations, I discovered a distressing link between each of the locations near or in the surrounding area of the vanishings. Each was the site of a research outpost from the department of Zoology. Not only that, but the times of disappearance coincided closely with visits by the Lord of the Department, Fidelco Redolloc.

While I would be loath to suspect a fellow lord of action that might draw such attention upon the association, I have requested a meeting in order to mollify any lingering doubts toward his relation to the incidents.

Vignette 1

He was the man they always looked to. The one they relied upon and trusted. A wise man who could resolve any issue with nary an effort. A magus that represented the best to come from the Zoology Department.
Though in his eyes, he was nothing without his lovely sister, Beatrix.

---

“Lord Redolloc!”

Fidelco stopped, turning to face the older man that had called out to him.

“Garadeb. Has something new come up in your research?”

“Not yet, I’m afraid.” The older magus said with a shake of his head. “But there is a more pressing matter requiring your attention.”

“Is that so?” Fidelco asked, giving the man his full attention.

“It seems that Policies has been investigating our Department, though the reason is being obfuscated.” Garadeb explained, an edge of concern entering his voice. “There are even rumors circulating that the investigation is into a traitor to the Association.”

Fidelco nodded calmly to the man’s words. As the man’s own worries began to bleed into them, his face became one of reassurance before he responded.

“There is little reason to give credence to such rumors. Were a member of our Department the type to be so blatantly foolish, I’m certain I would have known long ago.”

“Of course you would, Lord Fidelco.” He replied with a firm nod. “I’m simply concerned as to how this will affect our standing within the Clocktower. An opposing faction could leverage to their advantage.”

“You have nothing to fear.” Fidelco assured as he began walking once more. “Simply leave everything to me.”

June 16, 1843, 3:52 PM

Barthomeloi: Thank you for making time for this meeting, Lord Redolloc. I’m aware of the demanding schedule you keep.

Of course. Think nothing of it. Anything to aid Policies in their efforts. :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: And it is very much appreciated. Knowing esteemed magus such as yourself understand the Department’s efforts is always a welcome acknowledgment.

Maintaining order is a vital component to the continuation of Magecraft as a whole. Bearing such a burden speaks to a reticence of character that deserves both respect and admiration. :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: It is one we carry with great care, and one we wield with even more so.

Which I believe brings us to the matter at hand. I find myself curious as to why the Lord of Policies herself would call upon me so suddenly. Have one of my Department infringed upon the rules of the Clocktower? :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: I would not be so bold as to suggest such a thing without adequate reason or proof, yet I find myself questioning just such a thing.

Truly? I would be shocked if such a thing were the case. Those that find their place in Zoology rarely take such actions as to threaten their standing. :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: I understand your desire to protect those under your authority. However, it is necessary that we investigate all possible avenues before we discount them.

…You are correct. I will simply use this opportunity to alleviate any suspicions you may have of them. :Redolloc

Vignette 2

He was the man they always burdened. The one they hefted responsibility and expectation upon. A fool who struggled to solve anything even giving it his all. A magus representing the greatest farce of the Zoology Department.
One that paled compared to his beautiful sister, Beatrix.

---

“Damn it all!”

Fidelco flipped the chair across the office, filling it with a loud clattering as it collided with a bookshelf. Books rocked off their perches, and jars filled with fluid and strange remains joined them, adding further to the noise.

“You should really calm down, brother.”

“Those bastards in Policies!” he exclaimed further, slamming his fists on the desk his sister sat at. “Those shortsighted fools will ruin everything!”

“Honestly, brother, you’re being a bit much,” she replied, rising from the desk chair. “Even if they are investigating, there’s no guarantee they can tie it back to you.”

“It’s only a matter of time before they do!” his finger spread out on the desk, the weight of his anxiety pushing him down. “All my research, all my efforts, all for nothing!”

“Fidel.”

Her voice didn’t raise a single octave, but the authority in it was undeniable, instantly silencing the words on his tongue.

“You have nothing to fear.”

She slowly rounded the desk, her finger tracing a line along its edge as she approached him.

“This is nothing more than another small trial on your road to triumph. One I know you can overcome.”

Her finger met his hand only to begin continuing its journey onto it. It gently slid up his arm, the feeling lightening his weight as it reached his shoulder.

“Nothing has been decided until the final moment. To give up the fight so readily is not something Fidelco Redolloc would do.”

Her arms carefully slid over his shoulders, pressing herself closer to him and whispering into his ear.

“It is not what my other half would do.”

“Um… Lord Redolloc?”

Beatrix pulled away from his as he turned to face the voice. One of the younger members of the Department was standing there, looking very uncertain as he glanced between Fidelco and his sister standing next to the mess he’d made.

“Jareth, is something the matter?” Fidelco asked, all the manic energy from moments before completely foreign to the man now standing there.

“I was… uh… I was…”

Noticing the man’s glancing, Fidelco gave a wave of his hand.

“I’m embarrassed to say I tripped over the chair. I’m sorry you had to see my office in such a state.”

“R…right.” Jareth said, giving one final look to the mess while Beatrix gave him a placating smile.

“Nevermind that for now. Is there something you need?” Fidelco continued, the picture-perfect sincere leader.

“I-You’ve received a message from Policies!” Jareth declared, holding himself a little straighter after mentioning their name. “They’ve requested to meet with you as soon as your schedule will allow.”

Fidelco folded his arms behind his back so Jareth wouldn’t see them clench. Plus, it made him seem slightly more regal, trying to make up for the disarray of his office.

“I see,” he said with a falsely contemplative look. “I’m certain I can find some time for a member of Policies. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Jareth. You may go.”

“A-actually,” Jareth spoke up, nerves making their return to his voice. “I was told to bring your answer to them after I delivered the message.”

“Rather pushy of them, isn’t it?” Beatrix noted, a small smile still on her face.

“Of course,” Fidelco said simply while his mind raced. After several moments of frantic mental sorting, he came upon an answer. “I believe I can make time for them around 3:50 in the afternoon. I’m certain that will satisfy them.”

“Yes, my Lord. Very good. I’ll tell them immediately.”

Jareth still obviously anxious, turned and began to leave, but stopped mid-step.

“Lord Redolloc… are you…”

“Everything will be fine, Jareth.”

As Jareth looked back at him, Fidelco gave an unassailable lie of a smile to the young man.

“Whatever it is, I’ll have it cleared up soon.”

Jareth gave one last look to the overturned chair and the woman who’d taken a lopsided seat on it before finally exiting the room.

“You still need to mind your temper, brother,” Beatrix said with a shake of her head. “You frightened the boy.”

“I have more important things to worry about,” he stated, his frustration leaking out once more. “And I wish you would take this more seriously.”

“Why should I?”

Beatrix rose and returned to his side, wrapping her arms around his and leaning her head on his shoulder.

“I know my little brother can handle anything that comes his way.”

Despite the situation he found himself in, he found his resolve firming as his mind worked through the problem before him. He entwined his fingers with hers, being given a reassuring squeeze in response.

As long as she was here. As long as she believed in him.

He would realize their dream.

June 16, 1843, 3:55 PM

That is all quite troubling. I assume you’ve investigated the sites themselves? :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: I have. However, I believe those sites were more intermediary than destination.

You believe someone was using our research locations to select victims? :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: And even you must admit that only someone within your department could do so.

Even so, I’m loath to suspect anyone under my charge could do this. It’s far more likely that someone is using my Department as a scapegoat. :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: That is a possibility that Policies has not overlooked, yet there is a factor we have uncovered that limits the potential suspects to your department.

A reason I’m sure you have been leading us to. :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: As expected of the one who has risen so highly in only 4 years. Remind me, if you would, Lord Redolloc, what is your specific study in the field of Zoology?

Should I reiterate something you clearly know? :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: Indulge me, if you would.

…It is based in the alchemical symbolism of the filius philosophorum and the divine unification of Janus. As Latinus’s descendants, our foundation traces back to Janus himself, and our foundation lies in his domain. :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: Yes. The filius philosophorum. The multiple and disparate being made singular. Paired with a god of duality and transitions who is, himself, a being comprised of two.

Is there a reason for overviewing my life’s work? :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: In such a field of study, it is clearly one born in pursuit of the magnum opus of Alchemy, the Rebis. The Divine Hermaphrodite, a being of perfect balance that resides at the divide between spirit and matter.
Is it not coincidental than that the majority of those missing were Siamese twins? Specifically, ones where opposed sexes are as one?

…:Redolloc

Barthomeloi: Beings that seem so close to that magnum opus would likely be considered sacred to someone in such pursuit. The sort that would play a large component of making such a thing reality.

If you wish to make accusations against someone, you should do so plainly. :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: Who is making accusations? I am simply laying out the facts as I see them. I came here for you perspective on this matter, in large part due to your position in the department, but also for your unique view on such a coincidental subject.

And yet it feels as though your conclusions were long decided before you entered this office. :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: If you feel that way, one has to wonder if it’s because there is truth in what I say.

…

I assume this to mean you have yet to find definitive evidence tying a suspect to the incidents. :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: Unfortunately so. Whoever they are, they are both thorough and connected to hide their actions from us so completely.

Then I find myself in the awkward position of having little to offer in the way of aid. While there is a possibility what you have said is related to these incidents, it is just as likely it is all coincidence as you have suggested. :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: There is always that possibility.

As such, the most that I can offer is my complete support to your investigations and my own consultation should any further matters arise related to what we’ve discussed. :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: That would be most appreciated. Having a mage of your caliber aiding us in this will certainly bring us closer to the truth.

One can only promise to try to meet such expectations, else you are likely to fall short. :Redolloc

Barthomeloi: Of course.

[insert magecraft section here]

Vignette 3

He was the prodigy they looked down on. The one that possessed potential and promise. A genius that could flower if he only had the final piece to the puzzle. A magus that was failed by his overseers.
One completely worthless without his unmatched sister, Beatrix.

---

“We only have so much time left for it.”

Beatrix leaned back on the workshop table, watching her brother with calm eyes.

“You could still try to create a scapegoat. That Garadeb is past his time.”

“The old man barely knows what he’s doing with his own magecraft. They’d never believe he was emulating ours.” Fidelco declared dismissively as he carefully drew out a magic circle.

“I suppose so,” she agreed, her legs gently swinging. “I’m only trying to find an idea with more promise.”

“I know. If there was a way, I’m certain you would have already seen it.”

“I’m not all-knowing, Fidel.” She told him with an amused smile. “If I was, we wouldn’t be here to begin with.”

“I shouldn’t have let it come to this,” he muttered, chalk chipping as his anger pushed it harder. “I should’ve been more careful.”

“Here we go again,” she said with an eyeroll. “Little Fidel can’t change the past, so it must be all his fault.”

She slid off the table, crouching down on the opposite side of the circle.

“What matters is what we do now.”

He looked up from his work and into her eyes. Clear and perfect, those were eyes with vision. Clarity he was wholly incapable of.

“They should have picked you.”

His cheek burned like fire, though he barely flinched from the pain of the slap. However, it was her glare that made him look away.

“Stop that. It doesn’t matter who the heir is. What matters is that we have each other.”

With the same hand, she pulled him forward, resting her forehead against his.

“You are my other half. My better half. Everything I have is yours. Heir or not, I will always be here for you.”

Fidelco sat there unmoving for several moments before getting back to work. Even if he could never fully believe her, he wanted to be what she saw. And, more than anything, he wanted to give her what she deserved.

Even if he had to destroy everything else.

June 17, 1843
After I left him the previous day, I was certain to have him surveyed by several familiars from then on. After making such a declaration, he most assuredly would either reveal his role in the disappearances or his innocence. What I found instead was that his defenses are very thorough.

His office itself has been inlaid with a powerful bounded field that severs magical connections that pass into it. One of the same kind resides around his residence, which he returned to shortly after our conversation. I deemed it a poor use of time to attempt infiltrating them as, if in the unlikely event he was uninvolved, it would place another Department in opposition to Policies. I regretfully must say it would have been wiser to risk the backlash. Having also dispatched several other members to further examine the sites, I realize I should have asked them to search for fields similar to those he used.
If I had, it’s possible we could have prevented what occurred next.

Simultaneously, hidden workshops were opened at each of the sites. More than that, powerful chimera, both within the hidden workshops and contained across the sites, were unleashed. However, due to the experienced staff and Policies members, they were able to contain outbreak before much harm could be done to the facilities.

The greater harm came from what was released outside of the sites. All the victims that had vanished were set loose upon the unsuspecting populace. It took a great deal of the associations resources to prevent what could have threatened the secrecy we have spent so long cultivating.

Some were relatively untouched, only needing their memories altered to believe their captor was simple madman. Others were needed to be euthanized due to the modifications that were made to them. Several victims had been grafted together, both physically and spiritually, in various combinations. From their manic accounts, it was also clear some of them had this occur multiple times, many having distorted or impossible memories and minds. Unfortunately, any information that could have been gleaned in the workshops was absent or ruined beyond recognition.

As investigation after would unveil, Redolloc had an escape passage in his residence. It was easy to discover given its complete destruction. It appears Redolloc wished to erase his presence in a very literal manner. Even his relatives are unaware of his possible location, having separated from them before joining the Association. In fact, he has had no contact with them since he left.

Further investigation is required, but it is clear that Fidelco Redolloc has abused his position and risked mages as a whole with his reckless actions.

Vignette 4

He was the child they didn’t want. The one that failed their trials and training. A boy who could do nothing but bring them disappointment. A worthless heir to the Redolloc legacy.
Nothing but an incomplete reflection of his sister.

---

Fidelco stared out the train window at the rapidly passing countryside. It would take time, but he could rebuild a comparable workshop once again. He would likely have an easier time, given there would be no need to conceal his work, though he would miss the resources he’d been provided.

“Regretting your choice already?”

Beatrix, sitting in the chair opposite him, smiled as she leaned on the armrest.

“Not as much as I thought I would,” he answered simply.

She raised an eyebrow in response, reaching out a leg and poking him with it.

“You stress yourself out and complain about the entire situation, but you want to tell me you’re fine now?”

“I still have you, don’t I? As long as I do, hope isn’t lost.”

“Well, that’s something you never need to worry about.” she told him with a wan smile. “I’ll always be here.”

“But you aren’t. Not yet.”

Her shook her head at his words, moving to sit next to him before stretching out over the seat, her head in his lap.

“Of course I’m here.” She stated, her hand resting against his chest. “Because you’re here. Because you refused to let them take me from you. Because I know you can be so much more.”

He took her hand in his as he gazed into those strong eyes that had guided him through so much.

“I just need a little more time.”

She smiled at him, and he knew he would never stop until she was brought into the world. As she caressed his cheek and drew close, he knew all would be as it should have been.

“I’ll wait as long as you need.”

Given the mounting evidence and Redolloc’s evasion, it has been made clear that Fidelco Beatrix Redolloc is unfit to serve as the residing Lord of the Zoology Department. It is the opinion of the Department of Policies that a Sealing Designation be placed upon him. We of Policies furthermore would suggest the immediate installation of a new Lord of Zoology to ease the shifting that must take place within the Department. In accordance with this, we will put forward a worthy replacement for consideration.
In the name of the Truth and the Root, I will bring this report to a close.

Vignette 5

All he wanted was to be wanted.
All he wanted was his sister.

---

The boy huddled in on himself, tucked in the shadows cast by the maze’s walls. It wasn’t as though it could protect him from what he’d heard. All it could do was hide him, if only for a time, from his own failure.

“How could you be this worthless!”

He didn’t know! All he tried to do was what he was told!

“Why can’t even do something this simple? Do you want to ruin this family?”

What was he doing wrong? None of it made sense! He was trying so hard, but it doesn’t make any sense!

“Stop that!”

What?!

“We should have chosen your sister!”

What sister?!

“No… that’s why you’re like this! You were ruined before you were born! You failed us from the very beginning!”

What did he do wrong?!

“You were born.”

The boy jolted in shock from the voice. He frantically looked around, but there wasn’t anyone to be seen.

“They thought they would be the ones to create it. From the moment you were born, you were a failure to them.”

The voice was strangely familiar, but also something he’d never heard in his life.

“Only horrible parents blame their child for being born.”

“Wh-who’s there?”

The boy pushed his back to the wall, glancing down the paths that led to him with greater alarm.

“Don’t you recognize me, Fidel?”

Fidelco watched a form as tall as him come into view from one of the paths. A girl he had known his whole life and never realized it walked towards him, a beautifully warm smile on her face.

“It’s your sister, Beatrix!”

---

Creator Notes

If you have questions, we'll be making small edits and I can answer them. Just been struggling to get this out between attending a wedding and other fun life things.

Traditional Backstory

An old but hermitic mage family, the Redolloc’s kept themselves separate from the wider world of mages, its members even having little interaction with the Association. That was until the latest in the lineage, Fidelco Beatrix Redolloc.

Fidelco struggled to learn his family’s magecraft for years, some aspect completely foreign to his understanding. This only led to further frustration between both him and his parents. The divide only grew until one explosive outburst seemed to click everything into place.

He began excelling at it with nearly obsessive aplomb. His entire attitude had completely shifted, and the results were evident in his progress. It wasn’t long until he rose to surpass even his own father in ability.

Rather than refining his craft in solitude as his predecessors, he instead joined the Clock Tower, finding his place among the Department of Zoology.

He began excelling at it with nearly obsessive aplomb. His entire attitude had completely shifted, and the results were evident in his progress. It wasn’t long until he rose to surpass even his own father in ability.

Rather than refining his craft in solitude as his predecessors, he instead joined the Clock Tower, finding his place among the Department of Zoology. Despite expectations, the relatively unknown Fidelco worked his way up the political ladder, gaining enough sway to take control of the Department in only a few short years.

Though only a Cause, his magical methodology and political acumen earned him a good deal of respect. Knowledgeable and dedicated, he was someone the rest of the Department always turned to when in need. The man had every appearance of the ideal head, one who could possibly lead Zoology to greater heights.

He was expelled only 5 years into his term.

Upon the exposure of his twisted experimentation, Fidelco somehow managed to evade Policies and remains on the run. While he is not important enough for a Sealing Designation to be placed upon him, his life and Crest are things still sought by the Association.

I had a lot of ideas, like making it clearer what was happening and being more blatant with certain things, but I realized that part of Redolloc's charm is based in the ambiguity of everything that's happening. Like, who here actually understands what they were talking about with his magecraft or what his parents failed to do? Is Beatrix real? Are those incest tones or not?
The pondering, the questioning, became the point of it all. You can figure things out and draw conclusions, but who knows how close it all is to the truth.