Session 5 (128) - PART ONE: An Audience with the Bruse
Following the adulthood challenge, the party was held in an chamber near the entrance hall in the fort while the crowds returned to Nimba and Bruse Shantus’ court was established upstairs. Glaucia arrived, bringing with her Melissa Amerie. She told the unit bluntly that Conquo would not be permitted to appear before the Bruse, no matter what the Minister for Advancement’s decision had been. Conquo shrugged and said, “Hold on a moment” and was still for a while.
Meantime, Korrigan told the others he intended to pursue diplomacy. This might have gone without saying, but he was pointedly addressing Uru and Rumdoom, who might otherwise have been tempted to chip in and/or pursue different options. Korrigan would try to persuade the Bruse of the international threat posed by the Obscurati and encourage him not to hand Tinker over to them.
Towards the end of their conversation, Xambria Meredith peeled herself out of Conquo like a colourful butterfly from a huge, metal cocoon. She now stood before the others, dressed very much as they remembered her in life: practical clothing; fiery red hair tied back; spectacles perched on her nose. Only if you looked closely could you see that the edges of this projection was slightly frayed. Glaucia nodded her approval. This was no undead spirit, and no rule prevented Xambria’s reception in this form.
At length they were conducted upstairs and into the Bruse’s audience chamber. They passed a busy antechamber filled with chatting courtiers who were already tucking in to a late evening buffet. Double doors were closed to prevent the sociable hubbub from disturbing their audience.
Bruse Shantus, a huge, white minotaur, sat on a throne, flanked by guards and by his two principal ministers – Grand Vizier Zarkava Ssa’litt and Minister for Dragon Affairs Kenna Vigilante. Also present, seeming relaxed and confident, were Lya Jierre, and her bodyguards, and two other members of her party: a servant and a ritual mage. While the Bruse greeted his guests, a side-door opened and in padded a gnoll, humbly dressed in a short, hessian smock tied with a rope. The Bruse introduced Pardo, Minister for rebellion. Glaucia snarled and bristled at Pardo, and the Bruse asked if she was all right, then chortled when he remembered how the two knew each other. Pardo sniggered too.
The Bruse made a lot of small talk about the life of an RHC officer before revealing a great deal of knowledge about their exploits on the Avery Coast Rail Line. He told them that he had ‘the best spies’ and went on to crow that Ber was the highest bidder for the secret documents purloined from Danor by RHC operative Cardiff Hengehill. (Zarkava couldn't help but shake her head at this indiscretion, while even Lya Jierre raised her eyebrows.) After this rambling foreplay, Bruse Shantus finally asked them why they had come.
Korrigan went along with this charade, despite the fact that their petition was public knowledge by now. He was at pains to stress the importance of their opposition to the international conspiracy that also sought to claim Oddcog. To his surprise, Glaucia joined in and emphasised the aggression she had witnessed from the Danoran side, and the harm they had inflicted or risked upon the citizen of Ber. Despite orders to the contrary, Uru chipped in with a bizarre parable that no one could understand. The Bruse ignored him.
After they pleaded their case the Bruse began playing both sides off against each other, explaining that Lya Jierre had already offered a state of the art Danoran warship and trained engineers. He left the floor open for a counter-offer, but was met by stony silence. Kenna Vigilante frowned. Perhaps the newcomers had missed the hint? When no counter-offer was forthcoming, the Bruse shrugged and said that such things were of secondary importance: he told them of a new shipyard in Seobriga, and of with many, new metal ships defending their key ports. “Our Minister for Advancement is the best. He builds the best ships.” He also showed off about the delivery of mechanical soldiers that would be made in a few weeks’ time.
So the Bruse had something more interesting in mind to settle this issue: He introduced Vizier Ssa’Litt and Minister Vigilante. “They will be helping me to decide which team will be granted access to Tinker. The head, heart and purse-strings of our nation…” Another game was evidently in the offing. With childish enthusiasm, the Bruse went on to outline the two challenges he had set for them, and the rules governing their conduct. The contest would start at dawn the following day, until when they must remain on the grounds (with a cottage reserved for each group); no attempt to contact Tinker Oddcog would be tolerated; direct acts of violence were against the rules. The Bruse gleefully intimated that cheating was encouraged, and that his vote would go to the most entertaining team. The first challenge was to aid in the construction of the Cantabrilla Railroad, with Lya’s group aiding Griento Construction (Damata Griento, indebted to Rumdoom?) and the unit helping Liss Railways. The first team to reach (or surpass) 18 miles would win. The second challenge was a diplomatic one: Cavallo de Guerra, an orcish Sea Lord, had long been a rival and thorn in Bruse Shantus’ side. Lya’s task was to persuade him to attack the Risuri fort of Manhill (and thereby discredit him); the unit was to encourage him to pledge fealty to the Bruse and offer to contribute his fair share towards a second railway that was intended to link his territory with Seobriga.
The latter details were hastily imparted as the Bruse was growing restless. Challenge set, he stood and announced that he would now depart for an evening of star-gazing with a telescope Lya bought him as a gift. The doors to the busy antechamber were thrown open. Any guests or courtiers who wished to stay were welcome to mingle and eat and drink. Many chose to accompany their ruler, including Khaled Valchek, who bore the telescope. He pointedly ignored Rumdoom’s intense gaze as he crossed the room from the buffet and departed.
A harpsichord began to play and the Bruse’s guests began to mingle. Pardo stood around impassively, but no one talked to him. (Korrigan got the impression that it would be a faux pas to do so.) After claiming a spot in the middle of the room, he left by a side door, using a handkerchief on the doorknob. (Uru, attuned to the Bleak Gate, noticed that his spirit seemed to stretch out strangely behind him.) Glaucia stared after Pardo, then announced that she was leaving too, to spend the evening with the petitioners in Nimba.
‘Don Zaputo’ approached Gupta and loudly commended their performance in the Adulthood Challenge. He then whispered (with slight chagrin) that he did not know about this Tinker Oddcog business, but he knew all about Black Star Mining and its growing influence in Ber. He planned to return to the docks of Seobriga and try to discover more. One bit of information he had been able to discover about the gnome: everywhere Tinker went he carried a small, metal object, which he cradled, crooned over and coveted. (“The Godmind Urn,” nodded Melissa Amerie, later when this matter was discussed: She confessed that she had been saving the odd titbit of information to trade in case Korrigan thought better of their arrangement. Now she hoped they would allow her to accompany them to the castle of the Sea Chiefs. Her father had been a sea captain and she knew a thing or two about orcish buccaneers. She also thought it would be useful to let the people of Ber know about their exploits, and try to influence the Bruse through public opinion.) Gupta thanked the Don and then 'flirtatiously' asked if there was a quiet place they could meet later that evening. Zaputo understood her intent and told her to meet him in his room at the tavern in Nimba. He then departed with a flamboyant flourish.
Rush came over to trash talk the unit. He 'apologised' to Gupta. "Sorry about that knock on the head, love. In his defence, my man would have tried to kill you, but he didn't know you were a combatant." He went on to make unpleasant comments about Rumdoom's weight. Merton tried to discourage him and eventually Lya ordered him to stop. (She was talking with Kenna Vigilante at this point. Kenna had a very large plate of food.)
Leon made a point of speaking to both Zarkava and Kenna. From Zarkava he learned that she was embarrassed by the Bruse’s games and would vote for whoever did the best by Ber. She was keen to avoid damage to expensive infrastructure. Leon also warned Zarkava not to trust Lya Jierre. Zarkava nodded as if that went without saying. When Leon approached Kenna, Lya took it as her cue to leave. She gave Leon a curt nod and called for Rush, Merton, Ulrich and Inez to accompany her. (Uru’s parting gift was to call out to her in her brother’s plaintive voice, a malicious trick that Lya ignored.) Kenna was more enthusiastic about the game and keen to secure a rival offer from the Risuri faction. Leon persuaded her that long-term investment would be better for the nation’s coffers than one-off gifts, however lavish. Kenna, who grazed continually while he spoke, liked the cut of his jib and, recognising his contribution to the field of martial science, invited him for a pre-dawn jog where she could show him a technique she had been developing. She also shared some gossip about Cavallo de Guerra and his long-standing rivalry with Bruse Shantus. It would be useful for all concerned if he could be brought to heel. She happened to mention a strange disease that afflicted the poor folk of Citado Cavallo – a disease that carried a social stigma as well as disfiguring the victim and rendering them lame. Rumour had it that Cavallo de Guerra’s own grandson had contracted the condition at that the sea lord was at pains to hide the fact. Could this be used as leverage? she pondered aloud.
Zarkava also sought out Rumdoom, recognising the eschatological runes on his armor, and hoping for a deep philosophical exchange on the nature of rulership. It was evident she was not best pleased with the Bruse. Rumdoom in turn tried to mine her for information about Khaled Valchek, whose role she was also critical of, but was frustrated in his attempt to find out where he slept (as was Zarkava when Rumdoom’s approach to philosophy turned out to be unexpectedly narrow). Xambria approached and thanked Rumdoom for helping her to avoid the Adulthood Challenge. She then went on to ask Zarkava about Tinker’s role, learning that he worked closely with Valchek to provide the nation with the very best in steam and clockwork technology.
Heavy with canapés, and weary from their long, long day, the unit headed for their cottage. Gupta went down into Nimba, directed their retinue to the cottage, and spoke briefly with Glaucia (who she found reordering the queue of petitioners to favour the most deserving), before tracking down Don Zaputo. He was altogether more serious in private. She asked him if he knew the Coldfire Code, which he did, and had him send a simple response to Stover Delft: “Campion wounded but safe. Joined Unit A. On target. Lya Jierre in contest for target. Prepare Manhill for possible attack.”
(Actually, I have a fairly hackneyed get-out clause for all of the Dreaming Blight shenanigans: a combination of ideas that can pretty much be summed up with the time-honored phrase 'it was all a dream'. More of that some other time.)
