For the eyes of Arch-Inquisitrix Esther yod Rahab, regarding candidates for the position of a new Investigator

Subject: Corporal Elise Antoine de Bellefeuille

Education:

Graduated from the Officers' Academy of Rephidim in the spring of 6103 RTR, with a Certificate of Academic Achievement. Scored within the top 10 percent of her graduating class.

Scored consistently high in martial training classes. Certified as proficient in sword-fighting, unarmed combat, and heavy armor.

Gifted as a linguist, fluent in not only proper Rephidim Standard, but also Gallisian, Babelite, and Imperial.

Scored consistently high in etiquette, with moderate scores in dance.

Field Experience:

After graduation, was inducted into the Air Fleet as an officer in charge of a small armed contingent of Jupani Guards and Zelak support units on board the Tribulation, an escort vessel for cargo ships ferrying goods from the independent territory of Saskanar (after its secession from Ashdod). This contingent was responsible for guarding the loading of cargo in Saskanar in secret locations, and then defending the ship against Babelite privateers.

The Tribulation saw limited action during this time, mostly evading patrols and privateers, but did have to fight off Eeee boarders when the ship made a third (and ill advised) visit to the same site in Saskanar. Despite the ship taking significant damage and losses, a superior number of Babelite warriors were routed, and the vessel limped to Paquebot Carnelian with its cargo intact.

Other Achievements:

In the "Nagai Golem Incident" at the College Esoterica of Rephidim in late 6099 RTR, then-Cadet de Bellefeuille was part of an academy tour group in the tunnels underneath the School of Earth. Cadet de Bellefeuille worked with then-Apprentice Envoy of Lothrhyn to defeat an earth golem, and to rescue three apprentices (one severely wounded), an injured instructor, and a fellow cadet, rather than abandoning them for the sake of personal safety.

Came to the aid of Bryant de Tremaine, a Nagai scholar and private tutor to the de Bellefeuille family, despite having a fractured arm and several other injuries, and successfully defended another citizen – storekeeper Aaron Lightfoot – who had attempted to assist in fighting off the attackers. Prior to the first "First Ones Veneration" rally at the steps of the Temple, the Nagai scholar was dragged into a nearby alley by some Kavi criminals believed to have ties to the genocidal Rikkianist cult, where the cultists sought to ritually slay the Naga for no discernable reason other than his evident species.

According to reports, Citizen Lightfoot (being a Lapi with characteristically superior sense of hearing) heard noises from the alleyway and relayed this to Cadet de Bellefeuille, who then investigated, followed shortly thereafter by Citizen Lightfoot when she did not report back. Cadet de Bellefeuille was faced with nine Kavis, and slew two of them, including the leader, whereupon they retreated, before the Guard could respond.

Note: Citizen Lightfoot reported that the sword used by Cadet de Bellefeuille "sucked the life out of" one of the Kavis. Both of the two dead Kavis were found in an advanced state of decay inconsistent with being recently slain, and their earthly remains were found to have auras suggesting supernatural involvement in their deaths. The sword used by Cadet de Bellefeuille tested as clean for any taint as a cursed artifact, and the Cadet herself tested clean from any supernatural influences herself.

Responsible for the exorcism of a ghost haunting Sanguine Hall (a former dormitory which has since been renovated as the newly opened Sanguine Memorial). Please see attached report on this incident at bottom.

Possible Concerns:

Participated in an unsanctioned (non-lethal) duel with Cadet do Nell at the Officers' Academy of Rephidim. In light of the related incident with the ghost of Cadet Sabel von Sanguine, no punitive action was taken.

Position as head of House de Bellefeuille may present possible conflicts in the way of perceived "family duties". Considering that there are only two members of House de Bellefeuille at present (herself and her sister), this may be a moot point, unless families with long-term rivalries choose to cause trouble. (So far, no evidence has turned up of any long-term feuds with other families, though the recent "Sanguine Incident" might result in difficulties with Houses do Nell and von Shanar.)

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Summary of "Sanguine Hall" Incident

In an investigation of reported supernatural phenomena associated with the aforementioned Kavi attack, and questioning of then-Cadet Seline von Shanar, it was determined that the hall had indeed been haunted by the ghost of former Cadet Sabel von Sanguine, who died in 6078 RTR in an illegal duel with fellow Cadet Kasandra von Shanar, apparently related to a rivalry for the attentions of Cadet Guerrier do Nell. Cadet Sabel von Sanguine was the last of her house (other family members having a long tradition of signing up with the Guard or other adventurous careers in the Temple, and dying heroic deaths), and thus there were no family members to appease with actions against House von Shanar. The incident was quietly covered up. Cadets Guerrier do Nell and Kasandra von Shanar never survived to graduate from the academy, each of them dying mysterious deaths from a mysterious wasting disease that, in retrospect, draws parallels to legends of vampiric predation.

After killing the two cadets involved in her death, the ghost then preyed upon other cadets in Sanguine Hall. After a rash of mysterious deaths, and an inept academy administration that refused to consider the possibility of supernatural influence, surviving cadets were moved to other dormitories and the hall was quarantined. Then, apparently the ghost, having the ability to maintain the appearance of a corporeal form and to manipulate solid objects, established her role as a fellow student to cadets that were unfamiliar with her true identity.

She instituted a secret club centered around dueling to determine which member was the best swordsman, and hence worthy of holding a sword purported to be an artifact called "The Sword of the First Ones". This sword was in fact the same blade used to slay Cadet von Sanguine, and the concept of the "Sword of the First Ones" came from a Gallisian romance novel in the academy library.

"Sabel" personally served whomever held the sword, draining essence from the "lucky" individual. Eventually, the individual would be too weak to win duels, so the sword would inevitably pass hands. None of the students determined to be involved with this unsanctioned club (It is impossible for us to do more than surmise exactly who may have been involved) graduated from the academy, though only some of them succumbed to "illness" – others were victims of various freak "accidents" that typically killed them within a few weeks or even mere days of graduation.

Cadet de Bellefeuille learned of this club, and gained ownership of the sword through a (non-lethal but still unsanctioned) duel with the previous holder, Cadet Jiraud do Nell. This was the same sword used to fight off the Kavis mentioned earlier in this report. Cadet de Bellefeuille was severely injured in the duel with Cadet do Nell, and despite a life mage being (not so) secretly hired by Cadet do Nell to try to quietly tend to Cadet de Bellefeuille's injuries, she was bedridden for several weeks. It is believed that her slow recovery even with magical aid was not a mark of incompetence on the mage's part, but rather vampiric activity by the ghost known as "Sabel".

Cadet de Bellefeuille was inspired after the "Rikkianist Incident" to look into the history of the "Sword of the First Ones", suspecting it to be a magical artifact despite being determined as "clean" by an initial magical inspection. She discovered the Gallisian romance novel of the same name, was suspicious at the many parallels between the book and the "legends" she had been told of, and performed most of the research that ultimately gave us what facts we have on the case.

Cadet de Bellefeuille, still injured from the earlier duel and the attack of the Kavi cultists, summoned Cadets do Nell and von Shanar to Sanguine Hall to share with them her theories. Reports conflict on what exactly happened next, but purportedly, the ghost of Sabel appeared in apparently corporeal form, and plead to Cadet do Nell to protect her, while Cadet von Shanar was convinced of her undead state when Cadet de Bellefeuille tossed a piece of Sifran crystal that visibly passed through the apparition of "Sabel". (Cadet do Nell denies such a thing ever happened.)

Cadet do Nell, urged on by the ghost, fought with Cadets von Shanar and de Bellefeuille, and was unarmed and rendered unconscious without serious injury. They then parlayed with the ghost, and Cadet von Shanar promised to reveal the truth of Cadet von Sanguine's death, while Cadet de Bellefeuille promised to propose that Sanguine Hall be opened again as a museum to honor Rephidim nobles that have died serving the Temple. Apparently the ghost was satisfied, as it reportedly dispersed. Subsequent examinations of the hall by Spirit Mages have determined traces of a previous haunting, but no indication of any current haunting. The "Sword of the First Ones" still shows no taint of magic, apparently having no actual bond to the ghost (other than "sentimental value", so to speak).

Despite the controversy surrounding this revelation by House von Shanar, Cadets von Shanar and do Nell still graduated with honors at the end of that same semester, in the spring of 6100 RTR.

In regards to the earlier "Rikkianist Incident", it would appear that the ghost, while anchored to Sanguine Hall, had followed Cadet Elise de Bellefeuille, and in some way preyed upon the Kavis slain by the sword (They had reportedly been speared through the heart, though it was impossible to verify this via autopsy.) resulting in the horrific "wasting" effect reported to have afflicted the dying Kavis. A subsequent test of the sword on a condemned Kavi criminal did not result in any unusual phenomena.