<hr/><div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/6/6f/Oswald.png)</div><br/><strong>Name:</strong>Oswald Hardinger<br/><strong>Faction:</strong>The Collegium (Chairman)<br/><strong>Date:</strong>May 3rd, 1876<br/><strong>Time of Day:</strong>Morning<br/><strong>Location:</strong>The London Royal Apothecary<br/><strong>Tagged:</strong>Agatha, Elisabeth, Onneca<br/><hr/>Oswald considered, tipping his hat back to rub at a pate shined with sweat.  “I can only say what I have heard by rumor,” he admitted.  “But from what I understand, the Maze Rats are many Captains, and many ships, all of them answering to one woman.  But they are not in conflict with one another, as I understand it.  There are perhaps… rivalries?  But not conflict.”<br/><br/>He rubbed at his chin.  “I know that Coleman asserted that the Maze Rats most certainly had spies within the city.  He’d noticed a trend – a trend in assaults on the mines, and he asked for a scientific mind to verify it.  There are many reasons to assault a mine – and plenty of reports of entire mines with their workers found dead, within, or simply absent.  But he’d kept careful record of the number which had been<em>murdered,</em>in which there was conclusive proof of foul play, and then that smaller number which could be directly attributable to either Black Jack’s raiders, or the Maze Rats.  It was… a small pool, from a mathematical perspective, but the fact there was enough data to draw conclusions at all is a testament to just how horrific the conditions the miners of the Maze face truly are.  I … apologies, I’m digressing again.  The sum point of this exercise was – the Raiders and Maze Rats both have a presence of some kind in Gomorra.  The Raiders are only attacking mines which belong to Sweetrock.  And, in turn, the Maze Rats are only attacking mines owned by independent miners.  Their reasons – well, the Maze Rats reasons – are yet beyond me.  I think everyone in town has some idea as to Blackjack’s motivations.”<br/><br/>He nodded at her acceptance, giving a pleased smile.  “I am not asking you to leave Gomorra,” he promised.  I’m asking you accept … refuge, if you should need it.  If a man threatens your life – er, a person, I mean… after seeing Ms. Boyle’s somewhat overenthusiastic zeal for her firearms, I shouldn’t mean to presume that only a man is capable of …”  He paused, shaking his head, starting anew.  “If you are threatened, it would be my hope you would retreat to that refuge, notify your allies in the Collegium, and we can return in force, ensuring your protection.  It is entirely too easy for people in Gomorra to simply disappear, and my point… my point is that I very much don’t wish to see any of you disappearing.”<br/><br/>His eyebrows knit together.  “Which sounds vaguely… threatening, but that was not at all my intention.  I simply mean to custodian your well-being as much as I am capable.”<br/><br/>Then his attention turned fully towards Onneca, as the soft spoken Mexican began to interject in her own quiet way.  He cocked his head as she spoke, his eyes falling to the dolly, growing thoughtful as she continued to elaborate a plan.  The notion was a simple enough one – although elegant in its simplicity.  He leaned on his hand, chewing slowly on his fingers.<br/><br/>“In that case, we’d need… a message.  And a cipher.  And some sense of what the Maze Rats want and… what it is they’re looking for.”  His brows were knit together, as lost as Agatha had been a moment ago, he was now - his own wheels turning, his own thoughts brewing.  “A code that the queen could unlock, but… no others could.”  His brow knit.  “More difficult, as we know so little about her…”<br/><br/>His gaze slid back up Onneca’s arm and to her face, once again impressed.  “If I might call upon you at your shop, later?  To discuss the invitation of membership?  Even if you are not interested in protection, I would like to discuss your writings, your observations.  I would very much care to see them distributed, and some recognition for your contributions.”  He was hesitant, not wanting to intrude much more than he already.<br/><br/>He smiled at Elisabeth’s suggestion.  “It would do a great deal to put me at my ease, and Miss Boyle’s growing obsession with firearms.”  He smiled fondly, though, his eyes twinkling ever so slightly.  Then she was doing her best to reassure him, and when she mentioned her quantities of ghostrock, he raised an eyebrow.<br/><br/>“It is not your supply of ghostrock that worries me,” he answered.  “But the other component of a philosopher’s stone.  We can find ghostrock, but… the other is not so easily replenished.”  He shook his head.  “Yes, there is more.  But so much of it is suspicion and accusation, so much of it is simply… conjecture for which I have no proof.  It’s not my intention to ready ourselves for some kind of… war.  I just want to ensure that if the situation deteriorates, we will not be caught unprepared.”  He rubbed at his temples, then blinking a bit at the mention of a new arrival.<br/><br/>“Oh?  I haven’t heard of him.  What has he published?”<br/>