Session 140 - Unsettled Foundation

Previously, Across the Horizon…
The last time our brave adventurers came to Thalatte, they sought out the Nanab Foundation, specifically one of their candidates: budding explorer Celeste Meracydia. Celeste had a presentation planned for the Masters of the Foundation, where she would present her findings to the board to gain full membership if they accepted it.
Two assassination attempts wreaked havoc with her plans, though Isa and the rest of the officers wreaked havoc on the would-be assassins.
Fortunately for Celeste, the incident did not officially reject her bid for induction. Unfortunately, she has since lost face with the Nanab Foundation. Perhaps the gift of a priceless Alternan artifact will cause them to see things more in her favor.
There is also the matter of the Starfall’s booker, Decker Avant. The first official job they took was retrieving a shipment for Robb Hourne, a job they completed with minimal dithering and only a small amount of job-abandonment debate. Avant sent word that Hourne requested them for a new job; something about a missing village.
We join our brave adventurers in the great city of explorers once again…
**
"Remind me why you care about these cowardly relic-sniffers again?" Bast asks, then has to dodge out of the way of an overeager chocobo with a destination and no respect for personal space.
"I mean, you have to care about your colleagues," Yves says, "because otherwise you're never going to get published again, unless they do double-blind peer review, and I don't think any of the major journals do yet, which--though, hm, that's in a different field, maybe it doesn't work like that in hers. Celeste, what kind of peer review do your journals usually prefer?" He is getting better at eventually remembering that questions asked of someone else probably aren't his to answer.
"Ducorde is built on the skeleton of an ancient civilization lost to history and hubris." If Celeste takes any offense, her enthusiasm wipes it out. "There are untold stories lost in the tallest mountains and the deepest seas, with notes and legends waiting in everything in between. I want to find them. I want to read these stories and hear these tales and hold these tablets and listen to these ancient songs no one else has heard in hundreds of years."
Orrey's heart sings a bit as Celeste's passion takes hold; he has similar strong motivations. But much less ability to express them verbally.
She gently tugs Orrey out of the way of another chocobo and then slips around a sign that's about to topple over if another bird crashes into it. "The Foundation's purpose is to find, catalog, research, and preserve these things. It's not the only path available to me, I know that, but it's the most reliable and the safest. And also the one most dedicated to preservation. Mercenaries and independent contractors and whatever this group is -- no offense meant -- they don't answer to anyone but their own internal moral code, and there's no guarantee that that moral code won't expand to accept selling something priceless for blades. Or a private collector." She might as well have spit on the ground.
"Private collectors have all the money, but only mid-rate parties," Yves says sententiously. Then trips over a ten-foot pole that someone has dropped on the ground, and has to collect himself.
"Aw, that hurts me. Deep inside." Somewhere altogether out of sight, if the grin is any indication. "Bet they wouldn't let you go to half the places we've been to, though."
"Maybe you can have the best of both worlds? Association with Nanab, but sail with us?" Orrey suggests.
"That's why I'm trying to become a full-fledged member," Celeste says. Since Isa left, her demeanor on the ship has changed. She has been quieter and meeker, as if at any moment she could be set adrift. Here in Thalatte, she is once again the vibrant and distractable jack-of-all-trades they sought out. "Members can form their own teams, head their own projects, and have access to the full facilities and resources of the Foundation. They don't have to seek outside funding or do their own independent exploration, unless they want to."
"...full facilities, you say." Yves, still dusting off his coat absently, hurries to walk a little closer to Celeste. "Good facilities, I'm guessing? All sorts of facilities."
"The Foundation has six airships and fourteen seaships, plus agreements with chocobo stables the world over. There are former members stationed all throughout Ducorde who will open their homes to any current member, and they contract with multiple freelance organizations for protection and escorts. I think Isa knows one of the major partners there, but I can't recall her name right now. Amazing eyeshadow, though."
Bast nods like something just clicked for him. "They get to sit around and send people who want to get in to do the legwork, then they take all the credit? And the Foundation covers it? Sounds like a nice gig. Explains why that bit of trouble at home last time freaked them out so much too. So, we bri- throw them a bone, they let you in, and then you can make a name for yourself without having to cut anyone else in?"
Luca whistles. "Those are some good facilities."
Celeste nods to Bast. "And I can do it on my terms, with the people I want, and I can follow this through all the way to the end."
Yves looks slightly disappointed. That doesn't sound particularly focused on experimental chemistry or magitech research at all. Well, that's what one can expect from the softer sciences.
Orrey has a name on the tip of his tongue that finally pops out: "Justine? The exile we met who Isa had worked with, or for, or something?"
"I think so? I met her once at a party Isa and I went to." Celeste thinks for a moment. "At the aftermath of a party that Isa and I went to." After five more steps, she adds, "But not if Lady Osler is ever asking."
"Of course not, we're not narcs," Yves says, in all sincerity.
The open-air building for the Nanab Foundation rises up from the surroundings as they approach. "I know my office has been given to someone else, but my sponsor should be here today, and we can start with them. Is there anything anyone needs to do before we head in? In case we have to wait in line."
Yves glances at Linnet, who has probably packed snacks. He does not double-check his bag, in which he has packed "snacks" in case the line is exceptionally boring. "I'm good."
Linnet frowns at Bast. "Don't listen to him, it's your big day and you've been working towards this for years. Who do we need to get hold of here, anyway? I'm guessing there isn't just a basket for people wandering in off the street to drop off ancient artifacts."
"But if there is, we should take a look at it before we go," Yves adds.
"There's a whole process. I don't know much about it firsthand, but my sponsor will. They'll be the one to manage all of it." Celeste slides an ID card out of her dress and leads them into the staff entrance, then through hallways and up staircases until they make it to the fifth floor.
Citrine Swann is a cozy cinderblock around whom a hand-stitched office of doilies and motivational frames orbits. They greet Celeste warmly, placing their hands on the taller sylph’s arms and tugging her down for a hug. “Oh, I am so glad to see you wearing bright colors again, they accent your hair so wonderfully.” The same greeting is given to everyone accompanying the ebullient explorer — a hug, followed by a specific bit of praise. Linnet’s lovely braid, Luca’s well-tailored coat, Yves’s delightful accessories, Orrey’s bold hair, and Bast’s ‘keen, sparking eyes.’ The blanket-covered office is quickly rearranged to bring a mismatched series of antique chairs into a loose circle, and Citrine readies their knitting once they have settled into place.
"...and so we thought we'd donate such an important relic to the Foundation, and if that membership is still available, then perhaps...?" Celeste lets the final sentence of her recap escape out the back door and conveniently forgets to close it.
"A surviving copy of Alba & Ater would be a tremendous boon for the Foundation," Citrine says. "How did you find it? You sped through that part of the story, dear."
Celeste looks over at Bast and Orrey, appealing to authority and the guilty party, respectively.
Yves is slowly sinking into the coziness of an antique chair and its accompanying blanket, and looks somewhere between soothed and panicked by this process.
Orrey glances at Bast, hoping his skills in this area will carry the day.
Luca has found a stool, and looks quite keen to hear the answer as well.

"I'm afraid we can't disclose the details. There may still be items of further interest at the site, and I'm sure you know how easily a stray rumor or two can lure...treasure hunters." Bast's keen, sparking eyes meet Citrine's with a look of regret at the state of this cold, cruel world. "I'm sure it would be easier to protect them with a member of the Foundation as part of the expedition, though."
"I wouldn't ask you to divulge that information to the Foundation at large, especially as an independent agent yourself, Captain. I understand quite well the delicacy of your position." Were they closer, they might lean forward and pat Bast's hand gently. Instead, they start working on the next line of their knitting. "As Celeste's sponsor, anything submitted on her behalf must come from me. I can't imagine anyone misleading Celeste, but I do like to be sure, you know."
Yves whispers over to Celeste as a blanket piled on the arm of his chair attempts to engulf him, "How is provenance usually handled here? Is there, I don't know, a form or something?"
"Of course, I quite understand. But I have the safety of my crew to consider, and Celeste in particular after those assassination attempts. She was ecstatic about this find, but if we cannot give it to the Foundation without putting the ship at risk..." Bast shrugs regretfully.
Linnet just stares at Bast for a moment, then busies herself with something in her seemingly-bottomless bag.
"Oh, interesting that you ask that." Celeste shifts around in her seat to face Yves. "There are forms, but there is a lot of debate and discussion around how an item can be traced back. There are factions in Cardian and Saronite politics that argue that they can show a direct line between certain families and residents of Alterna, and therefore items of a particular type fall under their family's purview. Some of the documentation they have shown does date back to that era, but with so much information lost in the Shattering, the Foundation has to make a judgment call in so many cases. I overheard two members at a bar one night talking about what a hassle a complete lineage find would be from Alterna, because then they'd have to consider returning items to the rightful owners." She glances at Bast, and then continues. "For items purchased or received as gifts or grants, the Foundation takes ownership with receipts for both parties. For items salvaged or found, the Foundation is considered the original owner, since there are no remaining Alternans."
The sweater continues to grow at the end of Citrine Swann's needles.
"Found is the right description." Orrey says.
"Found?" Citrine repeats.
"We've been risking exploring the ruins of Alterna. We've found many artifacts." Orrey says.
"Oh, right, Orrey found it while exploring," Yves says, frowning slightly as he thinks back. "I wasn't there at the time, I was off covering things for, you know, if the skies got strange or anything." Or if people suddenly needed to be turned into teleporting clouds of bats, whatever. One of those sorts of events. He adds half to himself, "Not the time that tower fell over into the sea, though, was it? I think that was a different trip."
"We do at times test the edges of Alterna, if the conditions are right when we're in the area. But, as I said, I'm afraid we can't discuss the details at this time." Bast sits up rather more rigidly in his chair, not looking at anyone but Citrine.
"When you bring the artifact, we would also request the region of Alterna where you found it," Citrine says, pleasant as a summer evening. "It will help us learn more about how it was used in the city, and perhaps shed light on other mysteries around the social castes in the Empire."
Yves looks appropriately chastened. Or nervous about the doily he's just realized is lurking on the back of his chair. One of the two. Maybe both.
"Oh, we'd be glad to supply the context once we're certain there's no more reason for us to come back. But these things always take time, and we thought the relic itself would be of considerable value to the Foundation in the meantime." The tension of a moment ago seems to have melted away, and Bast is once more eager to be of service to the cause of history.
"Captain, this is an academic request. The more we know about the artifact, the more light it sheds on the rest of our collection, and the greater our shared unerstanding of the Alternan Empire grows. Incomplete information is still valuable, but misleading information could set us back decades. There are still people out there who believe the 13th Age theory as a result of incorrect information we were given." Citrine lets their knitting rest in their lap. "A rare donation could do a great deal for us. A rare, well-sourced donation with extensive data behind it could undo the damage done to Celeste's candidacy."
Celeste snaps her head up. "What damage?"
Yves asks indignantly, in the midst of a cold (warm?) war against some sort of fuzzy throw, "Surely they aren't holding a few assassination attempts against her! I mean, what proper researcher hasn't had to deal with one or two of those?"
"I admit I'm not clear on this point myself. She was attacked for the work she was doing for the Foundation, if I understand correctly?"
"Oh, it's just some oversensitive folks higher up, Celeste," Citrine says soothingly.
Celeste is not soothed.
Yves mutters something under his breath about C-suite and middle managers and how some day he'll show them all.
"A pair of attacks in the Foundation itself, from those who claimed to be safeguarding the original information... there are those who feel that you were too aggressive and disrespectful of the people affected by the presentation," Citrine says with some effort. "Someone, and you don't need to worry about who, even tried to say that you didn't make the map and just stole it, when everyone knows that your cartography skills put the rest of the members to shame."
Yves seems to be adding a mental note to the number of people he needs to show some day on among that all (name TBD).
"Wait, are you saying she hurt their feelings?" Luca asks.
"Fascinating." Bast leans back in his chair with a smile, fingers intertwined in his lap. "Has there been some sort of complaint, perhaps, from the people in question?"
"They specifically have said that this is a matter of public safety and protocol. A complaint? Nothing so formal or in writing, just what the Board have been saying amongst themselves." Citrine shakes their head. "There is only the one opening for a member at this time, and from what I've been told, Lynn Fairband is expected to receive it."
"...that's who they gave my office to," Celeste says. "I saw the directory change."
"Which was always a temporary arrangement," Citrine reminds her.
"I know," Celeste gripes.
"Who is Fairband's sponsor?" Orrey asks.
"They gave away your office?" Yves sits upright in the antique chair, his ongoing war with comfort immediately forgotten. "What about your books?" There is a small throw blanket still snagged into one of the earrings of his left ear. He will probably notice before he leaves the room. One assumes.
"Celeste's personal belongings are in storage here at the Foundation," Citrine says to Yves. "Hers to retrieve when she is able."
"Osvald Temenos," they reply to Orrey.
Yves reduces his alarm level by approximately 30%.
Luca leans over to relieve Yves of his blankety tormentor. "Anything fun to know about this Temenos?"
"Bless his heart," is all Citrine says to that.
"Oh," says Luca. "Oh no."
Yves pulls out a notebook from his satchel, and writes down the name. Also probably some impolite things about office-stealing colleagues. Then he hesitates. Considers the current occupants of this office. Decides to, perhaps, not suggest overly impolitic means of righting these wrongs.
"I'm sorry, I must have been unclear. The -" Bast vaguely waves one hand in the air "-Board is saying that two assassination attempts on a researcher of the Foundation are what? A complaint? For documenting geography? And that researcher's fault? I mean, we knew from our last visit here that this place is unable to protect its people. That's a significant part of why we are limiting the information we provide." He glances over at Celeste. "Perhaps I shouldn't be quite so surprised by unwilling."
"Did they send you a letter about me?" Celeste asks.
Citrine gives her an apologetic look. "Celeste, really now--"
"They did. I want to read it. Where is it?"
"I mean if it's just about people sending threatening letters, we could probably go deal with that and then come back," Yves says, helpful as only someone who has often been aware of office politics but generally attempted to wait them out can be.
"My desk, second drawer, under the photo album," Citrine replies. Their demeanor has shifted slightly, like a parent resigned to watching their child put their hand on the hot stove.
Celeste grabs the letter and leans against a shelf as she reads.
"'Citrine Swann, this letter is in regards to your candidate for membership, Celeste Vjetarata Aventurine Meracydia...' The full name, I really am in trouble, is this elementary school...?" Celeste mutters as she reads. "'...an appalling lack of judgment bringing a hotly contested relic from a native culture without any consideration for how those affected would respond...' '...complete disregard for the safety of her colleagues and compatriots within the Foundation's hallowed halls...'"
Yves leans over to show Lucas and Orrey his sketch of a plan for staging unsuccessful assassination attempts on Celeste's detractors, to make it clear that this sort of thing is very normal and should not. be held against anyone. (As sketches of plans go, it is pretty much just "1) stage assassinations (unsuccessful) on Celeste's detractors, 2) point out error in their so-called logic, 3) Celeste gets membership and a better office", but presumably he'll fill in the details later if others are in agreement.)
"'...damage done to the hall estimated to be in the high six figures...'"
"Oh, this is great. 'Enthusiasm is no replacement for critical thinking.' Love to see that written down about me."
Orrey appreciates the detail work on the bookshelf in the office, where the rest of it is just roughly sketched in.
"Sounds like someone without sufficient enthusiasm," Luca says.
She folds the letter back up and drops it on the desk. "So they definitely want me out."
"A donation of sufficient value, prestige and cultural significance alike, will change their minds," Citrine says calmly.
Yves adds a little footnote to his plan, Probably not ethical to assassinate the rival candidate for real; also, probably too obvious, even if ethical. At this last comment from Citrine, Yves looks up, and clears his throat awkwardly. "Excuse the question, since this isn't my usual field of study, but is popular fiction from before the shattering generally of interest to the Foundation?"
"Certainly," Citrine says, their full attention on Yves after that inelegant yet fascinating intrusion.
"Celeste, what they want is irrelevant. What do you want? What do you deserve? That letter is a load of political chocoboshit. Everyone of us who've worked with you know you're more than capable." Orrey says, vehemently.
Yves glances over at Linnet, and then says, "I... need to go ask our archivist a few questions, back in just a moment, sorry for the delay, do continue talking about the, uh, other thing." He disentangles himself enough to escape the blankets and head for some quiet bit of hallway outside, hopefully with their resident librarian.
Celeste stares off into the middle distance. "I don't know," she finally says. "I have to think about it."
Orrey looks over at Citrine. "What made you decide to sponsor Celeste?"
"Her passion, her skill, her willingness to learn, and her wide skillset. So many people have only one thing they do. Celeste has hobbies. That means a lot here. For one, it means she can understand the significance of a find even if it's not in an exceedingly narrow field of study," Citrine replies.
As Linnet stops glaring daggers at Celeste's sponsor and slips out after Yves, Bast nods to Celeste. "We have time. Doesn't sound like the Board is going to put the interests of the Foundation ahead of their little snit anytime soon."
(Out in the hallway, Yves has a rapid whispered conversation with Linnet. There are some urgent little gestures involved, and flipping around to things he's written down in the notebook.)
Celeste nods, though she has nothing to say. Instead, she just gives Citrine a wan smile and heads outside to clear her head.
Orrey follows Celeste out, distressed to see her so upset. "You look like you could use a drink. How about we get out of here?"
Luca hops down from their stool and adjusts their coat. "Thank you for your time," they say to Citrine. "And your forthrightness."
"Good news!" Yves tells Celeste on her appearance. "...maybe! Okay I think it's good but let's talk about it somewhere more private, yeah, maybe with drinks."
Bast nods to himself as the group begins to decamp, and lazily gets out of his chair. "Well, it sounds like we all have things to consider. I certainly learned more about the Foundation today. Thank you." His smile grows a fraction. "For this gift of knowledge."