Sapphire:Sessions:20190406
It is mid-afternoon. Chalker, Intrinsius, and Branamin bring their prisoners, A2 and A4, into the palace. They find Alastor and Portis in an antechamber. Chalker, indicating A2: "He tried to kill me, but didn't have his heart in it." Alastor, still holding A1's head: "Someone tried to kill me, and now something is in his heart." A2, claiming his name is Dan, speaks up. "You deserve to die... You're evil." Chalker: "You never met me. How do you know that?" Dan: "Uh... It was revealed! That's it! But... it doesn't seem so now." Chalker: "Did Asseraah send you?" Dan: "Oh, no, no!" Chalker: "Since my father didn't send you, why did you come after me?" Dan gapes in mute terror. Chalker, addressing Alastor: "Your Majesty, he wants to kill me because I'm revealed to be evil. It might have something to do with this..." Chalker holds up the fetish made of cloth, leaves, and twine. Dan: "I think it was Doug who gave that to me. He's a "problem solver" at the Shattered Pen tavern." Alastor: "That place is a sh*thole."
Chalker: "Dan, I will put you in a prison cell and not kill you.." Dan (indicating A4): "What about Taines?" Chalker slaps the latter awake, and Taines tells a similar tale: "Doug" had given him a fetish and paid him 2sp. (However, neither Dan nor Taines has any silver coins on them.) "Doug" had also supplied the bone daggers. Intrinsius studies one of them, seeing etchings along the blade edge with "magical potential." He hands it to Branamin. Alastor: "What instructions were you given to use the bone knives?" Taines: "Use it if it started glowing or after first blood was drawn... I 'just knew' where to go... I don't remember how or why, but some of us ended up at the Shattered Pen. There was no one there, so we helped ourselves to some drink..."
Quin Hinks arrives and nods to Alastor and Chalker. Chalker: "The city is fallen. He (indicating Alastor) is in charge of the palace; I am in charge of the troops." Alastor, indicating A1's head: "Don't mind this. It was an assassination attempt gone astray... I am looking to stabilize the city and the country, so that there will be no more bloodshed." QH: "Did you 'get' all the heirs?" Chalker: "No, but we're gonna kill Mays." Alastor adds, "Mays will not be a factor for much longer."
Dan and Taines are taken away to be locked up, and Portis sends a runner to fetch good ale for thirsty Intrinsius.
Portis: "Lamond was sent away because he advocated the end of slavery, and his views had started to gain popularity." Alastor: "I am considering finding Lamond and reinstating him. Meanwhile, the city needs a ruler, which is why I wear the crown." Chalker: "We have reinforcement troops arriving daily. Our hold on the city grows stronger." Alastor: "We have dealt with four of the six generals."
QH: "How long will the city be on lockdown?" Chalker: "Three or four days. We need someone to talk to the merchants who wish to cooperate. To them you can be the face of the city until we get Lamond." QH: "I have no problem being the king's mouthpiece. Many merchants were 'tired' of the slave trade anyway. Having Portis and me as advisors will help calm the city. You should get Lamond in place quickly, by the end of the week. Till then, it's a fine line you walk." Portis: "About half of them, the realists, will cooperate. Others, the pragmatists, will fake sincerity. I recommend getting rid of [he names two of the latter]. I will not work against you or double-cross you." QH: "I can start tonight, pulling in the 'true believers' first. By the end of tomorrow I should have a solid group." Portis: "It will be the end of the week before the opposing forces are organized enough to approach Colvin. They will find the city walls fully manned." QH: "Tell them we have a regent until the true heir returns."
Chalker asks Portis and QH to step away, and they withdraw into a small conference room. Branamin: "The runes on this knife links the victim to the wielder. It has way too many spells on it."
Chalker: "We will have Branamin pretend to be Alastor, and the rest of us will go after Lamond. Contact Molina, put some slaves in uniform, and send them to Quin and Portis." He writes two lines in his journey book: Rory, is there a portal on Myretrius? and Shawna, have you been to Merridel?