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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 2439016" data-attributes="member: 3448">"It's clear that we can't safely travel south through the City of the Pass.  They're searching for Alistair among travellers from the north, and guarding against his allies to the south," Mahler said as the group sat again in the baronial council chamber.  "Even Stithis's powers of flight and invisibility are unlikely to be able to sneak us safely by.""What about waiting for the army to arrive?" suggested Delbon.  "Canberry should be able to send a large enough force.""But they're moving against a fortified city.  If the City of the Pass bars its gates, I'm sure the Canberry army would be sufficient to maintain a siege, but the city will be able to hold out for a long time, especially against a one-sided siege that leaves the northern approach unsecured.""Perhaps we can arrange for the siege to not be one-sided, then," Alistair mused.  "The Archbarony of Ecsilias relies on the trade running through that pass on the way to Enclaves for its livelihood.  They will be very angry about the trade disruption, and even more angry that the guards of the City attacked the company of a Paranswarmian bishop.  If the Inquisitor General can obtain an interview for us with the Archbaron, we may be able to persuade him to march south on the City and besiege it from both sides.""The other guilds of the City must be very angry with the Black Guild for disrupting trade as it is," Kit added.  "If the City is fully besieged, it would not be long before the trade guilds turn against the Black Guild to break the siege.""And Ecsilias and Canberry would certainly be in a position to negotiate tariff concessions in the aftermath, making it easier to persuade the Archbaron to join Canberry's efforts."The Inquisitor General readily agreed to arrange for a meeting between the Baron of Lyneham and his companions and the Archbaron of Ecsilias.  The entire company waited for another three days for the last of the Inquisitor General's guards to be safely settled in the castle and for the last matters to be arranged.  Several of the Inquisition's most badly wounded knights, and a badly injured young priest who served as the Inquisitor General's clerk, were left in the castle to secure it against any threats until Earl Richard of Sheffield could dispatch Canberran knights to relieve them.  With those matters taken care of, the party set off north along the road back to Ecsilias, with the Inquisitor General and a large group of Inquisition guards as an escort.The first two days of travel passed uneventfully.  On the second night of their travels, they made camp in a large clearing near the road.  Shortly after nightfall, while the cooking fires still burned and before they had settled in to the rotations of sleep and watch duty, a loud commotion from farther north on the road drew their attention.  At first they could only see the faint light from a large number of lanterns peeking through the trees, but they could soon hear the chimes of distant bells and then sounds of laughter.  The group settled in to an alert watch, with the Paranswarmians ready for battle, when the procession rounded a bend and came into view.A group of some four score people came down the road towards them, beneath joyous banners depicting gold and ivory laughing faces-- the symbols of Manumist.  A group of rolly-polly men with spears, several drinking deep from wineskins, proceeded to erect a large tent as the caravan entered the large clearing near the party's camp.  As the attendants finished their work, the main body of the Manumistian group, some fifty odd priestesses and acolytes clad in light, diaphonous clothes that suggested more than they concealed, began approaching the party, dancing and beckoning to the party to join them.  Their leader, a handsome middle-aged woman, spoke to the group.  "Joy be upon you!  All who wish are welcome to join us in our celebration of Manumist's love!" Delbon had not even waited for the invitation, taking off towards the tent as soon as he recognized his god's priesthood.  He quickly vanished into the tent, one arm holding a wineskin and the other circling around an attractive acolyte's waist.Dame Brionna and the Paranswarmians glowered at the Manumistians disapprovingly.  A few of the handful of male acolytes and priests danced up to Dame Brionna in their light robes, but a few curt words sufficed to deter them from further efforts, and they turned their attention to seeking to persuade Mahler or Kit to join them.  Mahler drew the attention of a surprising mix of acolytes-- mostly men, but with a few women.  His discomfort was palpable as he spoke with them, softly trying to dissuade them, while not entirely seeking to be alone.A bevy of the Manumistian sacred prostitutes approached each of Kit and Alistair as well.  Alistair took a few steps towards the Manumistians, then looked over at Kit, and waited to see what she would do.  Kit's actions mirrored Alistair, leaving them each staring at the other while a circle of attractive young men, in Kit's case, and women, in Alistair's, sought to draw them into the tent.  After a few awkward minutes with each of them waiting, Alistair walked over to Kit."I don't want to spend tonight alone, Kit.""You don't have to," she responded gesturing at the dancing Manumistians."I know.  But I'd rather be with you.""I'm not going to be just another one of your chambermaid conquest."Alistair paused, taken aback by Kit's vehemence.  "I've never thought of you as like that, Dame Katherine.  You've always been more special."The hard lines in Kit's face softened.  "Really?  Since I saw how you behaved at the castle, I haven't been able to trust you."Alistair grimaced a little.  "You have to understand... I'm not going to make any promises to you that I can't be sure that I'll keep.  And things are different for me than for most people.  I can't get married without my grandmother's consent, because my marriage is a matter of state.""I'm not asking for you to marry me.  But... I didn't know that."Alistair nodded.  "As I said, I won't make any promises to you that I don't know that I'll be able to keep.  And I can't promise that there won't be others.  But I want to offer you as much as I can. Can that be enough for you?"Kit thought, torn between her feelings and her fears.  "I wouldn't ask you to make a promise you can't keep....  I just need to know that you won't use future chambermaids to hurt me.""That I can promise.  I swear that I'll never use other women as a way to hurt you." If Alistair internally emphasized the last phrase, unwilling to swear off other women altogether even to the degree he could, it slipped past Kit's notice.  With a ginger, tentative smile, Alistair reached out his hand to Kit, who took it and leaned in to kiss him.  To the surprise of everyone, not least of all the Manumistians, Kit and Alistair quietly walked away from the tent to a spot slightly further in the woods for more privacy.</blockquote>

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