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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 3808984" data-attributes="member: 3448">“He has a host now.”“Of sufficient power to allow him to perform his ritual?”“We believe so.”“Then there will be a war,” said the Chief Engineer fatalistically.“Not if we could strike at the host.”“Indeed.  Is he guarded?”“Yes-- but less so against the Seachen.  He believes he has your support.  We think that a group of Seachen could make their way into the heart of his army without having to battle their way in.  We fear that the field army that is moving north seeks to aid him.”“There are limits to what can be done if the marshal has formed an alliance with him.  Only the Matriarch can command more than one army at once, and she must take the field herself.  One of the Field Armies could follow him, if the marshal is of great rank and he has attracted her support.  The only other way a marshal could be removed would be by assassination-- the same as the host.”“If it is a war, they are viable targets.”“True.  If the Abomination’s horde seeks to punch through the army that holds the pass, they will find it hard to break through.  If the Seachen field army intends to ally with the horde, however, the other defenders are doomed to a being.  The marshal would not ally with a man, but with a great cat, she might.  And if it finds male chattel useful, well, most young women hope to someday have male chattel of their own.”Dame Brionna cleared her throat.  “Perhaps the Seachen with more sense need to act then.  If your empire were to assassinate the host and the field marshal, it could be an important step towards reestablishing law in the region.”The Chief Engineer nodded.  “There are people who I could contact who would be willing to make the attempt.  Even though the host is chattel of the cat, it is inappropriate for Seachen to be beholden to a male.”“And allied to predominantly male orcs and demons.  Orcs cannot be trusted.”“That is true.  Orcs are great rapists.  I will talk to my contacts.  It is not like we are proposing to assassinate the Matriarch.  This is possible.”“I am glad that the Matriarch is reasonable and that she does not serve the deranged gods.”“She is most respectable.  The Matriarch is a devotee of the Mistress of the Heights, a goddess who died 1500 years ago.”“I should take my leave, but before I depart, may I compliment you on the detail and sophistication of your drawings?  Few if any of our people could rival this level of design.”The Chief Engineer inclined her head, acknowledging the compliment with a smile.  “It is a great focus of my people, and I am chief in the studies of fortifications.”“Would you be willing to examine our maps of Furrows, another city in the Archduchy, and make recommendations for its defense?  It is more exposed, and we are more likely to wish to expand its defenses.”“I would be most happy to do so.  I would be proud to have some of my designs built in this far-off land.  I will also teach my hostess’s younger son something about engineering, even though as a male he will never get to use it.  He has been most interested in my drawings and seems unusually smart for a boy.  Someday, he will make fine breed stock for the Lady Mayor’s allies.”Dame Brionna bit back an offended response and simply thanked the Chief Engineer for her kindness to the Lady Mayor.After the audience concluded, the Council briefly met with the Lady Mayor to discuss the state of things in the City.  They described the threat of the imposter and asked to be apprised if rumors of his activity began circulating among the Canberry nobility.  She stated that she had heard rumors, but that most of the nobles had not-- as the Lady Mayor of the capital, she had more contact with foreign nobility than most.  They also discussed the status of crime in the capital-- the rate of crime had dropped precipitously, back to its usual levels.  Likewise, the krif situation appeared to have resolved itself within the last two weeks.  The constabulary identified about one hundred users, but not significantly more than that, in withdrawal.  The constabulary turned them over to the Sisterhoods for treatment.[End Session 26]</blockquote>

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