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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 3109035" data-attributes="member: 3448">“Your Eminence, how long will it take you to prepare for the coronation?  How quickly could it be done if we had to move the coronation up?” inquired Dame Brionna.“We’ve been over this,” said Alistair, a tad exasperated.“Three days.  There are certain purification rituals I must perform, as well as the logistical matters that would have to be arranged.”“Best if you focused on the plague threat for now.”“Yes, I’ll begin invocations about the plague in the cathedral immediately.”Dame Brionna persisted.  “Your Eminence, what is the significance of the grove where the coronation procession begins?”“The only mystic significance is the distance.  In order for the coronation rituals to have their effect, the rituals must be performed properly and the Archduke must process along a sufficient distance through the lands, performing the rituals as he goes.  The grove is sufficiently far from the Cathedral that any procession starting there and taking an appropriate route through the crowds that will gather in the City will satisfy the requirements.”“But there’s no significance to the grove itself?”“Only tradition.  Which is of course sufficient reason in its own right.”“Yes, but perhaps not if we expect assassins,” said Dame Brionna.  “We could start the procession elsewhere and avoid any ambushes that they’ve laid, at least until we enter the City.”Alistair smiled.  “And we can set up a tarpit at the grove.”Everyone looked at him in confusion.  Finally, the Archbishop asked, “A tarpit, Your Grace?”“Yes.  Sometimes there are open pits of tar.  Animals will be drawn in by food that’s fallen in the tar, and then when they try to get the food and escape, they get stuck in the sticky mess and die.  So we can set up a ‘tarpit’ of our own, by having a fake procession start from the grove, planning on drawing in any ambushers.”Mahler looked at Alistair in mock alarm.  “I hope you’re not planning on asking me to pretend to be you again.”“Don’t worry, wouldn’t think of it.  I think that Lady Constance might be able to supply us with substitutes for the principals, with spells to contain any attackers and keep them from reaching the real procession.”Dame Brionna nodded.  “And if her creatures are destroyed in the process, no harm done.  We’ll need to post actual guards, though, to make it convincing and to prevent the news from leaking.  The best we can do is to fill as many of those slots with people who plan on suicide anyway.”  Dame Brionna looked at the Archbishop.  “Your Eminence, an attack on you is very likely-- our enemies will want to prevent the coronation, and you are one of the two essential participants.  I’d like to position a large group of guards around you, and ask that you stay on sanctified ground between now and the coronation.”“Yes, those both seem like prudent steps.  Thank you for meeting with me, Your Grace.”After he left, Kit cursed openly.  “I just cleaned my sewers, and they’re putting demons in them again.”  She slipped out to meet one of her people and instructed them to check it out, both in terms of the dibbuk and its host.  She told them to find out who the boy was, who he was working for, and if possible to find him and bring him in.While Kit dealt with that, Dame Brionna went over her daily brief from the city constabulary.  It contained a short discussion of the incident at the Merchants’ Temple, although without the information about the dibbuk, and also a special note that all was quiet in Pottersfield.  For the first time in days, there were no murders to report.</blockquote>

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