This venerable Gallisian establishment certifies the authenticity of all the canine breeds, from the lowliestSharpei to the most powerful of poodles. Their records detail the heritage of every purebred canine, as well as the few bloodlines under consideration for possible acceptance as new breeds. While Rephidim's branch does not have access to all the records that the main branch in Gallis holds, it does hold most of the basics.

A snow-white poodle with makes her way alone toward the counter at the rear of the room. She is dressed in a deep blue colored robe that by its design alone gives way to the idea she is a servant of the Temple. And while the robes she wears hint at her profession, they carry no obvious mark of branch or station. They are understated in their elegance and embroidered with lighter blue zolken threads, certainly though not the robes of peasant.

A young male Rottweiler behind the counter turns from his copying as the poodle approaches. He has a pair of reading glasses perched on the end of his nose, and he tips his head down to look over them at Elise. "Good morning, m'lady," he says quietly. "How may I help you?"

"I have come for the documents I had requested. They should be prepared under my name, Lady Elise de Bellefeuille," answers the poodle woman. She reaches up and pulls back the hood of her robe so that her face can be seen better.

"Ah," he murmurs, nodding. "You have the marks of a de Bellefeuille, m'lady." He smiles for a moment, looking nervous, then continues, "Let me check Edgar's notes; I was not here to receive your request." He flips through a book beside him, then nods. "Yes, they've been pulled for you, Lady de Bellefeuille. One moment." The Rottweiler bows to Elise, then turns to depart through a door behind him.

The lady poodle smiles briefly at in response to the comment on her appearance. She then nods to the man's statement. "Do hurry," she insists after the man, the comment lacking energy, seemingly said as an afterthought. Elise certainly does not carry any hint of impatience on her at the moment.

He nods, and returns momentarily bearing three large tomes, comprised of heavy sheets of parchment bound by zolken threads to a removable binding, the design clearly intended to be sturdy, and to allow easy removal and addition of pages. One bears the legend, Registry of German Shepherds, Ailse-Brontherie, another Registry of German Shepherds, Johanes-Kelsie, and the last, Registry of Poodles, Andres-Bellefeuille. He sets them with a heavy thud onto the countertop. "These should, I hope, have the information you require in them, Lady de Bellefeuille. They have the full information on the bloodlines of the de Ayde families, both the original poodle lineage and the new German Shepherd line established in Gallis. Should you have any questions regarding this matter or the use of the tomes, please feel free to ask me. Would you like me to carry them to a desk for you, my lady? I'm afraid that we cannot allow original records out of the building."

"As to be expected. Yes, do carry them over." With another nod, Elise turns from the counter and moves toward the nearest desk. She slows her pace so that the man at the counter can easily keep up with her under the weight of the tomes.

The clerk lifts a removable section of the counter and ducks around to the front, then lifts his burden and follows Elise to the desk with it. "Oh, m'lady, the German Shepherd line that formed the base for the new de Ayde line is the von Johanes, now defunct," he informs her helpfully. He installs the three volumes at the rear of the large desk, then pulls out the chair for Elise.

The white poodle settles into the chair after carefully adjusting her robes. She then folds her hands together and leans forward curiously to review the books, choosing the Registry of German Shepherds, Ailse-Brontherie and sliding it forward. "Unless you are otherwise occupied with some urgent task, I would ask you remain free during my presence. I may indeed require some assistance in my studies."

The Rottweiler responds with a short bow. "Of course, m'lady." He takes a step back, to avoid hovering over her shoulder.

Elise glances over her shoulder for a moment, and then moves to open the large tome. The directory is reviewed first before she begins flipping through the pages toward the de Ayde section. "You mentioned a new line; was this the line that formed the Rephidim de Ayde line?" she asks idly.

Two pages of each book are devoted to the name of a single individual from the given family, ordered in accordance with their age. One page details that person's direct ancestry, complete on both male and female sides, in mind-numbing detail. The second page often, but not always, features an artist's sketch of the subject, and a few paragraphs noting how well he or she conforms to the characteristics of the breed, along with any evident deformities or exceptional qualities. In the upper left corner of each right-hand page is a number, which appears to vary from somewhere in the 400s to somewhere in the 700s, which Elise notes as she flips through and realizes it's not some kind of page number.

A shake of the clerk's head answers Elise's query. "No, the Rephidim de Ayde line remains a poodle one. When the last of the Gallisian poodle de Aydes perished some sixty years ago, he arranged for his name and entailments to pass to an adopted son, Charlemagne, formerly of the von Johanes line."

"I see. Can you explain the numbers in the upper-right hand of these pages?" asks Elise. She continues to flip through the heavy volume, looking faintly weary at the amount of page turning that is required. She keeps from doing more than skimming each page past, for, given the detail, anything more may take her well into the night.

The clerk's reply comes in nervous tones. "Yes, m'lady. That's the Office's estimation of the suitability of an individual as a member of their breed. A 700 or better signals those persons who exhibit the finest qualities of their breed and have demonstrated consistency in their bloodlines. Scores in the 500 to 700 range suggests that there may be some trouble with that person, either in consistency of reproduction, or in their personal conformity. A score of less than 500 indicates serious reservations about the person's standing as a member of their breed." He pauses. "Those who score below 400 will normally have their offspring dropped from the registry, assuming they have any."

The lady pauses in her page turning to listen to the clerk's words before continuing. "Interesting," she comments. Again she turns her attentions to the tome and now begins turning whole sections at once in an effort to speed the process of searching. Finally she lands within the de Ayde section a few family members too far. After flipping back a few pages she arrives at the family tree. This she begins studying, tracing the de Ayde lineage from its beginnings to the current holder of the title.

It's easy to see why the de Ayde section was difficult to locate; the family tree of the German Shepherd de Aydes holds a mere dozen names, beginning with "Charlemagne de Ayde", his wife, Juni, then leading to his two sons, "Lechat de Ayde" and "Johan de Ayde". Johan de Ayde married Felicia von Mercer and had three children by her, while his elder brother, Lechat, wed Katherine jeux Kent, and similarly had three children – the eldest being Mikael, whom Elise has met, along with his wife, Cynthia. Curiously, Cynthia isn't shown on the family tree. Charlemagne's ancestry is noted by a simple "See Johanes" entry.

"I seem to be lacking a name. What of the wife of Mikael de Ayde, Cynthia? She does not appear to be listed," asks Elise. The page is scanned again in order to appear as if the lady poodle might have overlooked something, lest the subject be a delicate one and her pointing at it invoke more nervousness from the clerk.

The clerk frowns, leaning forward and pushing his glasses up to search with her. "I'm not sure, my lady. Was the marriage a recent one, perhaps? Our records are not as up-to-date as Gallis's, I fear."

Elise again scans the family tree for any mention of a recent Cynthia, as another's wife or as family. "It is indeed possible. I recall Cynthia being quite young, in fact." She also flips to the names of the most recent de Aydes to check if they have a Cynthia anywhere within their lines.

No mention is to be found anywhere among the members in the German Shepherd line of de Aydes of a Cynthia, and the search takes little time to be thorough, given how few de Aydes there are in this line.

Elise nods as if confirming something, then sets out after the page of Baron Lechat de Ayde. This she examines briefly, skimming over the basics and leaving the lengthy history out.

Lechat's entry flatters him; he scores a 768, and lines leading to the sketch point to the erectness of his long, pointed ears, the length of his muzzle, and the breadth and depth of his chest in praising his overall conformation. It makes reference to the "excellent markings, a tribute to his Johanes ancestors" and "Charlemagne's high quality, clearly his father's son."

"Assuming an entry had low markings, how would a line increase their rating? And I would assume lines or individuals that carry a low number run the list of losing their Gallee status altogether should their individual or collective scores not increase?" She flips now from Lechat's entry to Johan's. Here she does a similar review of his history, again leaving out the lengthy bits.

"Do you mean the lines indicating points on the sketch, m'lady? They are for illustrative purpose only, Lady de Bellefeuille. They're intended to highlight the qualities referred to in the entry, so that the reader may see what the writer means when he refers to 'excellent length on muzzle' or 'poor ear erection,' as an example. It's really up to the writer of the entry how much of the sketch he wants to refer back to, or how, so the number of lines referring to it doesn't necessarily mean anything about the score." The clerk pauses, glancing to Elise to make sure his response made sense to her.

A shake indicates that was not what the white poodle intended. "Pardon me, if I did not make myself clear. What I was referring to is one's rating as a proper member of their breed." She points to a number to she what she means exactly. "This. If an individual suffers a low score, or a line for that matter, how would one increase this? And bolster their future line's numbers?"

"Ah!" The clerk nods. "You mean bloodlines with poor scores… " He tilts his head as he considers the query. "It's tricky for an individual to improve his score, as about two-thirds of the score represents unchanging physical characteristics – fur quality, length of legs, etc. While magic can technically be used to correct physical deformities or imperfections, the Office of Bloodlines frowns on such use and will downgrade a rating if it is discovered. Often such products of life magic either do not breed true or throw inconsistent offspring." He pauses for breath.

The poodle nods once again and resumes studying the page before her – that of Baron Mikael de Ayde. "I would assume then the only way to improve one's bloodline is with better blood?" she asks, all though she is rather certain of the answer. Still she considers it does not hurt to be complete.

Continuing, the Rottweiler says, "Well, not exactly. Certain characteristics can be improved, of course – carriage, posture, grooming, even temperament and apparent intelligence – may change over time and will accordingly be reflected in their score." He twists his hands. "While we do consider such qualities of high importance in an individual, and while to a degree they are the product of breeding and may even be seen consistently in a bloodline, the committees determining the score tend not to weight them as highly as one might like. As matters such as intelligence and emotional stability are far more subjective than chest width, giving them the weight they merit opens the committee, and the Office, to accusations of corruption and favoritism."

"Ah, well your neutrality is to be commended. It does not do to open these things to bribery," says the white poodle. Having no more questions at the time, she returns her full attention back to the page.

"Thank you. We value our reputation above all else. And, yes, normally the best way to improve one's bloodline is to wed someone of a superior one, and hope that one's offspring will exhibit one's mate's conformity to the breed. Of course, such matches should be chosen carefully, for not all bloodlines will cross well. You'll see some notes on that if you spend much time here, I'm sure," the clerk concludes before falling silent once more.

Mikael doesn't score quite as well as his father, rating a 731, but that's still solidly within the "approved" level, and the comments on him are mostly flattering, though there's a note about his "soft nature" which doesn't sound too kind. It goes on to note that his father requested a "bloodline match" and that the Office recommended a de Kiena or de Lemystaux.

Lady Elise raises an eyebrow. "Might I inquire as to what a 'bloodline match' is? I have not heard of it before," she requests. And while waiting for the request, she flips the tome closed and pulls forward the next. This time she reaches for the Registry of German Shepherds, Johanes-Kelsie and opens that.

"On occasion, Lady de Bellefeuille, individuals will pay a fee for the Office of Bloodlines to determine an appropriate match for, typically, themselves or their children. The Office will then go through our records, study their heritage, and then seek candidates of a suitable age and lineage for a match. We merely report our findings; what they do with the information is up to them." After a moment, he adds, "Gallisians tend to use the service more often than the Gallee on Rephidim, who generally do not share Gallis's devout dedication to breeding." He can't quite hide the disdainful sniff at the end of this last sentence, though he tries.

There is a pause, and Elise turns around to look at the man carefully for a moment. She at first gives him a look one that might normally be reserved for those faced with the interrogation of the Inquisition. But her expression quickly softens and she looks back to her page. "I am sure it does bother you. Tradition is important, as is following, as I can attest." The searching of her current volume is much easier given the required family is at the front this time. She needs only one name right now, and so she goes to the last, Charlemagne, if his name is still listed with the von Johanes.

The Johanes family tree is a long and storied one, and as Elise glances through the hundreds of pages on its individual members in her search for Charlemagne, she quickly realizes that the bloodline is far from dead, carried on by relatives who married into other families. The name, however, disappeared when Charlemagne assumed the de Ayde title. Under Charlemagne's entry, the unusual nature of the Office of Bloodlines approving the de Ayde title across breeds is noted. Apparently Charlemagne's immediate ancestors had lost most of their wealth and had little left to offer apart from their good name and their superb breeding. The Office of Bloodlines had always been proud of this breed, which was clearly a factor in their approving the adoption. Other factors seem to be a concern about the suitability of the Rephidim de Aydes, who would otherwise inherit the title.

Some pro-revolutionary fervor seems evident in the wording on the issue, although what the adoption would have to do with one Gallis's many revolutions isn't clear.

"Odd," mentions the poodle, "the von Johanes family is not, technically, dead. In fact it would appear there are relatives remaining, and that the lines inclusion stopped upon approval of the adoption of Charlemagne. Have you any idea why the Rephidim de Aydes would not inherit the title, instead having an adoption take place? And would a planned revolution have anything to do with this? I also see here wealth may have been an issue." With a slight shake of her head at the complexity of it all, Elise continues to study the page while awaiting an answer.

The clerk looks confused for a moment, then leans over Elise. "Oh, I see. The von Johanes family name is gone, yes, although there are descendent of the von Johanes line still within many other families – for example, the Lesmystauxs, and, of course, the de Aydes. The de Bellefeuille name is in a similar state – yourself and your sister are the only remaining who bear the name, yet you have relatives among, oh, the Mercis of Gallis, I believe, and no doubt many others. But should neither you nor your sister bear children to the de Bellefeuille name – if you both took your husband's names, for example – then your name would die, as did the von Johanes name." He takes a deep breath after the lengthy explanation.

A frown creases the noble's face. It is something she had been aware of, knowing that her family line would die off should she not continue her line in her name, but it is not something she wishes to remember. "Thank you," she says. A pause, and then she turns around to face the man. "Have you any idea why such an adoption would take place at all?"

The clerk takes a pace backwards as Elise turns to face him again. "I'm vaguely familiar with the case of the Gallisian name transfer. It's not unheard of, though it's rare, and that it terminated the von Johanes line makes it even more exceptional. I understand there were political considerations at its heart; some ill-will towards Rephidim in general, and, of course, reservations about the consistency of the Rephidim de Ayde's bloodline."

The edges of Elise's muzzle shift and she tilts her head, giving her an expression of consideration. "Reservations about the consistency of the Rephidim de Ayde bloodline? It would be useful to know of this; might you show me?"

"Certainly." The clerk reaches for the tome on poodle lineage, flipping through it expertly until he reaches the family tree for the de Aydes. The tree spans several pages, and Elise notices that the names have their scores adjacent. "It's a bit difficult to see here," he begins, tracing a finger down one branch on the one of the last pages of the tree, "But see, this is the Rephidim line, here," the Rottweiler continues, drawing his finger along to the last page of the tree, "and it goes on until we reach Grant de Ayde, here." He flips back. "You'll note the wide swing in their scores?" The numbers next to the indicated names range from high 700s to the low 500s, with a couple even falling to the 400 level.

The poodle leans forward so she can get a better look of the hard to read numbers. "I see, yes." She traces the line with her own finger, going straight to Grant de Ayde. Once there she checks his number and the numbers a few steps before it. "Is the Rephidim de Ayde family in any danger of losing their bloodline to low numbers?"

"Well… " The clerk hesitates. "It's not really for me to say. It depends on whom the young Lord de Ayde finds for a wife, really, and then how his offspring turn out." Grant's score is a 632, his father's a 540, his mother's a 578, while his father's parents were a 530 and a 592. His mother's parents aren't shown on the family tree, though they would appear on his individual entry. "Grant de Ayde is, himself, a fine specimen of a poodle, really. The best his line has had since his great-great-great grandfather's day." He points to the man named, a 688. "The worst difficulty lies in matching the bloodline appropriately. It's … well, it's that color."

A understanding nods is given by Elise. "Black," she says simply. A hand is lifted to rub her forehead as if she weresuddenly struck with a headache. "If I remember correctly, parti-colored offspring are regarded poorly at best. I am not mistaken?"

The clerk winces, and nods. "Among poodles, I am afraid so, my lady. While there's been some effort to make parti-colored poodles a legitimate part of the breed – in fact, Grant's current predicament is a result of just that movement – the results have been … well… " He shudders. "They've been spotted, my lady. And not attractively spotted, either." He flips through the book to one sketch. "Grant's great-great-great-great aunt," he says. The female has a score of 387, and her face has a blotch of black fur over part of her muzzle, receding over one eye, and covering most of her forehead, and more blotches on her ears and hair. "Happily, she did not wed."

As the lady poodle removes her hand her eyes widen in surprise at the picture. "Why that is … " All she can do is shake her head and disbelief for a few seconds, but eventually she does continue. "That is … unacceptable."

"Exactly." He shakes his head and flips a few pages to a noble-looking gray-furred poodle. "This is Grant's great-great-great grandfather, Rodger. A fine specimen, you see. And Rodger's wife, here," he goes to the next page, revealing another attractive gray poodle. "A good match, you'd think? But look, here," he turns another couple of pages, to another spotted poodle, although this one less hideously so than the last, "Rodger's second-born son. The line simply has no consistency to it."

Elise once again frowns. "Then your judgement on this line would be that it is unstable, and disaster is the norm rather than the exception?" She takes a deep breath before she sighs softly, once again knowing the answer but needing to hear it said…

"I would not go so far as that – nor would the Office, or we should have disenfranchised the line already, especially given its present sorry economic state." He turns ahead to Grant's entry. "As you can see, Grant's a splendid example of the breed. The commission loved him. They even thought he was a delight to be around, see?" He points to the notes below it. "We could hardly abandon a line that can produce such power and grace, despite its problems. But certainly our devout hope would be that Grant chooses … and is able to choose … a wife who will bring consistency to his line."

"I see … " says Elise tiredly. The hand that was rubbing her forehead reaches out and begins flipping through the pages, past the de Ayde's and right to the de Bellefeuilles. She then begins skimming her own family tree. "It has been some time since I reviewed my own family tree. Considering I am here, I may as well do so now. For future reference."

The clerk leans back and nods approvingly. "Now, the de Bellefeuille's, there is a line with consistency." When she reaches the tree, Elise notes a length to compare with the de Ayde's long history, but scores in the 700s and high 600s mark her ancestry, with only a the occasional individual dipping below that. As she flips through the pages on the various people, she sees sketch after sketch of white poodles, noted for the luster of their fur, the angle and length of their ears, and the proportions of their faces. Many of them look enough like Elise that she might mistake their sketches for her own. Occasionally a silver-haired poodle is featured within the line, but that's the extent of their color variation.

"Perhaps I simply wish to tease you for my own amusement, but in a manner of your expert opinion, using the black poodle mentioned and my own lineage as examples … what do you imagine the result of the offspring would be?" asks Elise is a quiet voice. Though she says mentions amusement her face bears no trace of such a thing. No, she looks quite serious about the request.

"Your line?" The Rottweiler struggles to keep his tone even. "Ah. Well. Of course, you realize that I'm not qualified for bloodline matching, nor have I done the extensive research on your respective lines that would truly be in order before making such a determination… "

The snow-white poodle taps a taps a nail against the desk. "Given your reaction, I would believe you do have an answer. I would certainly appreciate you sharing it," she tells him in an even, if quiet tone.

The clerk shuffles nervously. "Ah. There have been no color-mixed matches among the de Bellefeuilles themselves, as you can see by looking. Your family has not been an adventurous one in that regard, my lady. Now, your line has been exceptionally consistent in the quality of offspring however, which would be of great benefit to the de Ayde line. However… "

"However? Out with it, I do not need nor appreciate hesitation on my behalf," says the poodle. She turns around in her chair so that she regard the man more fully.

The Rottweiler ducks his head, only looking more uncomfortable. "Of all matches among white poodles and poodles of another color, only one in twenty offspring is white. Odds are strong that were you to match with a de Ayde, the children would have de Ayde coloration … possibly black, possibly gray … possibly … spotted." He grimaces. "It's possible that some of the de Bellefeuille line who married out of it have been crossed with poodles of another color, my lady. If you would like to order a search on the subject, that might give a better sense of what offspring a mixed match for you would produce."

In order to calm the man some, Lady Elise turns her head away from the man and to the book. "I suppose that would be of interest, yes. See to this. But I urge you to not allow this information nor what I just mentioned to pass beyond those parties who need to know of it. My research is delicate, and I would rather it not be disturbed with unfounded rumor. That would also be unacceptable." She flips a few pages until she reaches her own entry. "I have other requests, too, so do not leave just yet."

Elise de Bellefeuille's entry comments on the superb consistency of her line, adding some mournful notes on the sad lack of additional members. On her specifically, it lauds her large eyes and their color, as well as her fine proportions and her excellent carriage. The writer commends her sense of duty and heritage, but comments on an apparent lack of emotional, and possibly even mental, stability, with a concluding note that the last is "hoped to be a passing phase, re-evaluate in 6105." She scores a 783.

The poodles brows narrow slightly in react to reading about her own supposed, or actual, mental instability. However her own score does much to ease this, and she lets her brow rest. "Mm, yes. Seven hundred and eighty three. Quite flattering," she comments half-heartedly as she tries to ignore the other part of her review. Pages get flipped and she soon moves to her sister's profile.

Katherine's entry glows with praise, and the score in the upper corner leaps out at Elise: 828, higher than any of the scores she had seen so far in her glance through the book. She is noted for the same fine physical characteristics as her sister, but additionally for her exceptional grace and delicacy, and perfect lady-like demeanor combined with vitality and an exuberance for life. The writer mentions not one bad thing about Elise's sister, obviously not knowing her as well as Elise does.

Elise looks slightly bewildered at her sister's score, eyes widened, but a twitch of her muzzle reveals a hint of jealousy. She quickly suppresses this and forces herself back to her previous expression. "My sister has scored exceptionally high. I am quite impressed. Her score seems quite rare to me?" A questioning glance is cast toward the man assisting her.

A smile appears on the Rottweiler's face. "Your sister is quite a marvel, indeed. There are few to rival her score." He frowns for a moment, thoughtfully. "I don't know if there are any living who do, in fact. But those scores are only a guideline, my lady – do not take them too much to heart, for they are not impervious to bias, try as we will to avoid it. But it surely does you credit to have her for a sibling, and speaks well for the children you will bear." A hint of gloom crosses his face at the mention of the last, and he looks like he wishes he hadn't said it.

"Rest assured, I will follow tradition should I choose to have children. I take my family lineage very seriously … and would not taint it with what you had showed me previously. The comparison was merely for my education," says Elise. A hand is moved to tap her sister's entry. "I wish the same for my sister."

The clerk releases a soundless breath. "Very good, my lady. As do we all, I'm sure."

Elise inclines her head to the man. "This is all that I need research. If you would, in a timely manner see the records reviewed copied and sent to my estate. Also, have mine and my sister's records sent as well." She looks up at the man for a moment before returning her gaze to her sister's picture. "Hm. Perhaps you would also research into what we discussed. Possible, unacceptable offspring created by those that have married out of the family. Your effort of course, will be well thought of. A suitable donation will be given to this fine establishment and to yourself for your quiet work here."