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+ | < | ||
+ | turn:114 | ||
+ | title: | ||
+ | start: | ||
+ | end: | ||
+ | posted_date: | ||
+ | weather: | ||
+ | location:on the road to Maelbourg, in the Barony of Huerten, the Kingdom of Rang | ||
+ | xp_ziedon: | ||
+ | </ | ||
+ | < | ||
+ | "So Ziedon, I see you caused Townsman Ulfendol quite a bit of trouble." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Before responding, Ziedon took a quick inventory, and it did not look good. Two of his daggers he had already lost in the farmhouse; the other two were missing. His pack was gone, and along with it his precious spellbook. As for clothing, the merchant' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon tilted his head to the side to see the bare cell and then sat up partially, wincing from the pain in his gut and the pounding in his head. He weakly muttered among coughs, "wah ... <cough, cough> wah ... < | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Right next to you," Galgewe said, "with your breakfast. They' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon arched an eyebrow. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Galgewe sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, _prisoner_. Eat or do whatever you have to do. When you're ready to stand up and say more than one word at a time, I'll be waiting." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon drank some water and lay back down. "Need. < | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon opened his eyes, made no move to get up, and wearily asked, " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Why don't we start at the beginning? Why, after so nobly working for Townsman Balban' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I am not sure what you are talking about. A group of soldiers attempted to waylay my companions and I as we left town. We did everything in our power to ensure they left us alone." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Allow me to recount your experiences two weeks and some days prior to this moment. A group of five renegade guardsmen led by that incompetant Ulan left Maelbourg and found you and your friends on the road. You sent Ulan off, but two of his men stayed. Some time afterward, a group sent by myself approached you, in search of Ulan and the renegades. Most of the second party fled, though they were uninjured. They were incoherent when they returned, claiming that Waylad had been enchanted by a sorceror matching your description, | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Until two weeks and some days ago, you and your friends were in the employ of Townsman Balban, but some change occurred that caused you to rebel. I want to know what it was. Waylad was sent here by you, with explicit instructions to remove me as townsman. I want to know why. Does that clear things up for you?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon chuckled and then coughed a few times, holding his stomach. "Yes, I can feel how much restraint Ulfendol has... By the way, how is he and the farmers?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon nodded. "As to your charges of ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Galgewe rolled his eyes again. "As you must already know, Sahlman did not enter Maelbourg until four days ago, quite a while after Waylad returned, and he left without making any attempt to free Waylad. I know that it was _you_ who sent him here, so there is no need to play this game. I assure you it is in your best interest to tell me what I want to know." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon frowned. "He didn't enter until four days ago? Hmm.... You want to know why I sent Waylad back? Well, I sent him back with Sahlman to protect Sahlman. I did warn him that a take-over was likely to happen in the town, that was to give him the knowledge necessary to ensure that he protected Sahlman accordingly. I thought there might be further bloodshed. Frankly, I think I underestimated my... influence... upon him. What exactly did he do anyway?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon replied simply, "in part to protect Sahlman, in other part as retribution. I do not like armed guards sent after me." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Sent after _you_? They made it quite clear that they were looking for Ulan." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon opened his eyes and looked at his interrogator. "But of course they were. That is why they rode up on me with weapons drawn -- because I look so much like Ulan... Is this conversation going anywhere? I need my rest if I am going to stand execution or whatever other punishment I am facing in relation to the trumpted up charges I committed in order to land myself in these fine accomodations." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "This conversation certainly is going somewhere. It may go in either of two directions, in fact. Either you can tell me what I want to know, and have some chance of going free, or you cannot, and be taken to a much less pleasent environment than this one, where you will no doubt remain for quite a few years of your life. Your stories are foolish -- I would not have questioned you before being sure of my facts. Even Waylad admits that the soldiers approached you peacefully, with weapons sheathed, and asked regarding Ulan's whereabouts. You were neither attacked nor threatened. You did, however, send a party of trained soldiers fleeing without a scratch on them, and you convinced one soldier to change his loyalties, all over the course of a few minutes. I continue not to ask how, because that doesn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon snorted, "' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "If I remember correctly, it was you who negotiated the terms of your initial contract with Balban, and Balban paid you several times the agreed upon amount. Then he offered to pay you even more for the relatively trivial task of delivering a pair of messages, and half way through, you gave up any chance of reward by turning against your employer. You are horribly unreliable as a mercenary, and every word from your mouth has been a lie. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "On the other hand, I have some need for a man who can throw an orderly town into chaos in less than an hour, so perhaps you can make it up to me. And you might as well stand up already. I notice you've dropped the cough." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon turned and rested his feet on the ground. He stood, swayed, and remarked, "I fullfilled the terms of my agreement. The price for delivering messages is low, the price for giving over the keys to a region is much higher. You should know that." Ziedon took a step towards the metal bars, his hand going to his nearly mortal wound, "Our conversation has sapped my strength. I don't think I will get far." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Finally on his feet, Ziedon was able to observe the rest of the room. The first thing that caught his eye was his spellbook, sitting on a small table, open to the magic armor spell. A small flake of charred paper lay curled up beside one of the corners. Ziedon' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon walked towards Galgewe until the bars blocked his way. Ignoring the last question, he replied, "if I make up for damages, you will what, exactly?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Oh, I'll make sure your wounds continue to be treated. The Morenthians have some reasonably effective methods against that kind of wound. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Your clothing will be repaired of the damage you forced Ulfendol to inflict, and your posessions will be returned to you... except for this book. It seems to be the single object you value over any other, and so it will make an excellent hostage." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Kill you? No, I would have no reason to go that far. I would simply arrange to have you imprissoned for the remainder of your life. As for you killing me, that's a risk I'm going to have to take. I'm gambling that my possession of your book, combined with my considerable political force and my own meager training in self-defence, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon sighed and laid back down on the bed. He closed his eyes and returned to preparing his spells, ignoring Galgewe completely. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Very well," Galgewe said. "I have business elsewhere, but I will return in one hour. I suggest you consider my offer. If you still refuse when I return, I will regretfully have you transfered to a more permanent cell." With that Galgewe left the room. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon spent the hour preparing spells, glad that he had trained himself to do so, at least for a few spells, without his spellbook. When he was finished, he renewed his magical armor, got up and looked out from various parts of the cell to find whether anyone was nearby. As best he could tell, he was alone, but he could not see very far. The room was roughly rectangular, | ||
+ | |||
+ | He then examined the lock to his cell. It was a padlock with a strange mechanism that looked like it required two keys. Those keys, if they were in the room, were not in plain sight. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon used a spell to reduce the size of the door. A great groaning of metal followed, while the door attempted to break through its hinges and lock, but the metal was too strong. By the time the spell ended, the padlock was held rigid in place, jutting straight out, and the door was nearly one with its hinges. The transformation had added an inch and a half of space at the top, bottom and side of the door. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon looked at the door and its hinges, and at the iron bars of his cell, about three inches apart. Perhaps if he had used two spells on himself... but it was too late for that. He looked at the cot, and decided that no part of the wooden frame would be strong enough to seperate the bars sufficiently. Seeing no way out of the cell, Ziedon rested, waiting for Galgewe to return. When he heard footsteps outside the room, Ziedon began a spell of enchantment, | ||
+ | |||
+ | "What was that?" Galgewe asked. "Well, have you considered?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon nodded his head and said, "I will help you." Ziedon stood up and bent over, stretching to work out the kinks from laying in place for so long. While doing so, he mumbled the words to another persuasion spell and launched it at Galgewe. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Galgewe stood perfectly still for a few seconds, then he looked at the spellbook, and then at the wall. "I see," he said, and paused again. "I wasn't sure the first time, but..." | ||
+ | |||
+ | How could something of such power exist in the hands of someone like Galgewe? "I said yes. Now open this cell, I need to get some rest and to the lay of the land here before I start tinkering." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Of course. But first, I'd better not be without my insurance." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Now let me explain the situation here a little better. Right now there are two factions -- those who support me, most of whom have heard of Townsman Balban, and those who are against me, led by Silnquost. The split has been frustratingly equal until now, which has brought us virtually to a standstill. There are also those who have not gotten involved at all... and then there' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "The political maneuverings have been rather standard, including accusations of treason, and placing various people -- no one too important, of course, under arrest. Waylad, for instance, has been in prison for two weeks. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Four days ago, the situation changed, and I didn't learn why until a day later, when the retaliation came. I knew that our friend Sahlman had been through here, and that he had been seen by Forgolon. What I did not immediately know was that he had attacked townsman Batarel, one of Silnquost' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "This must end soon and in my favor, or Balban will have trouble organizing this town when he arrives at the end of the month. The people are becomming concerned at frightened, which could result in a riot if left unchecked. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "In short, you and Sahlman have made quite a mess of this town. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Your uncanny knack for persuasion, which until today I believed was merely some unfathomable skill, or perhaps sufficient knowledge for blackmail, can come in very handy here. A few key people -- not Silnquost himself; that would be too suspicious -- but perhaps Duddan, the captain of his guard, or townsman Hewlard, his most outspoken ally, or townsman Jerrakken, a religious man well-liked by the people. I will have to decide for sure where you can be of most use, now that I know how you work. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I suppose sufficient time has passed. There are now only two people in this town who know where to find your spellbook, and you may find locating that soldier difficult." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon, who had been watching the guard very carefully, memorizing his features, gait, etc looked back at Galgewe as he walked out of the cell. He made sure that all his equipment was still there, and checked his bandages. Then he began to dress. "I will require somewhere more... suitable... for living quarters. I will need a map of the town, and more detailed information on these people you mentioned plotted on the map; for example: Where they live, where they work, where they normally dine, etc. I will need detailed descriptions of the individuals as well." Ziedon took a breath. "I also want to know about Sahlman, I have not seen him in a while, is he still in town? Did he kill Baratel?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "No, no. He only broke his leg. And he left four days ago. As for your requests, they' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon arched an eyebrow and asked, "this Silnquost, did Waylad approach him? What is Waylad' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Then what prompted Silnquost? Something had to give him the gumption to act." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "The minstrel, what role does he play? Have you tried to buy him?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Buy him? I already pay his wages, but I suspect he isn't quite as loyal as he pretends. I would like to know what motivates him as well. Be careful with him though. You have already seen how dangerous he can be." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Who controls the city guard? The folk who are doing the imprisoning?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Many of the greater townsmen have been capturing and imprisoning the lesser. Although the town guard has a single captain, members are individually employed by myself and other townsmen, so no one person controls the entire guard. The major contributors are myself and Silnquost, though between them, the other townsmen employ more than half." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon rubbed his chin. "What allegiance do the guard owe the captain? How many are there of the guard?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "There are about eighty guardsmen total, who report to the captain, and who are generally told what to do by the captain. They' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "And the church? What stance have they taken on this domestic squabble? Who are the leaders? I will need their locations, descriptions, | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I don't want to bring the House of Morenth into this. They' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon waved a hand in dismissal. "They are tools, same as any others... I will also need new clothing, food because I am hungry, and gold for expenses." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Of course, the basics will be taken care of. You can consider yourself under my employ for the duration. Food will be provided at the inn and will be paid for on my account, your clothing will soon be repaired, and I will pay you a salary of fifteen attles a day, and another hundred if I am satisfied with your work at the end. I think that is extraordinarily generous, considering the conditions under which you're working." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "That will suffice for now." As an afterthought, | ||
+ | |||
+ | "A newborn baby? What do you think I am? If that's what you need, I think you'll have to do without." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon frowned at Galgewe. "If you wish for me to use my... skills... at persuation, I will require one of two things. Either my book, or a new born baby." Ziedon continued his lecture, taking short steps towards Galgewe. "Do you think such power comes cheaply? Do you think just anyone can harness the darkness? Like a carpenter who needs nails and wood, I require either my book or a new born. It is that simple." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Galgewe took a step back and nervously rubbed his medallion between his index finger and thumb. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon assumed a patient tone, as one would with a child. "I have already told you. There are only two ways. One involves my book; the other involves human blood and the assorted herbs I mentioned. Do you think such power comes cheaply?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Galgewe hesitated, then let go of the medalion. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Galgewe stepped up to the door and knocked once again. After a few moments, another guard appeared in the doorway. Galgewe scribbled a note onto a scrap of parchment, rolled it, tied it with string and drew out his seal over the seam and string. Then he handed it to the guard. "Go find Ilyar, and give him this. He should be back at his post by now." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon sighed as if disappointed. "That will suffice. Have Ilyar meet me at my Inn room in the morning. I need to get some more rest before I delve into the political current of this city. I am ready to go to the Inn now, I trust my funds will be made available to me in the morning?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "You will be paid each morning for the previous day, so you get nothing tomorrow but your book... I suppose you'll need something to get you started. Alright. I will advance you five attles out of the fifteen for your first day. Anything else you need can be spent out of the fairly large hoard you carry with you." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | < | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon still has two skill points to distribute. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Ziedon' | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{: | ||
+ | |||
+ | < | ||
+ | |||