Session Nine, Part One: Civil Unrest
Compiler's Note: I tried to post this last night, but the inevitable downtime bit me...
Katya leaned back against the wall, drained of strength. Steaming chunks of ice still lay scattered about the room, and Quooral's breastplate would never be the same, but at least the fight was over. "Maybe we should wait until tomorrow to check out the site in the jungle."
The giant genasi looked over at Di'Fier. "If you are going to cast another spell," he said slowly, "please tell me first."
Di'Fier prodded his own bruised ribs and nodded. "Yeah, let's...get back to headquarters."
The door swung open at her touch.
The front room of the tiny cottage was a shambles - the furniture shattered, the curtains yanked down, the rug in disarray. The broken remnants of an old and trusted blade lay discarded in the corner.
Dru stepped forward, her feet leading her onward to the kitchen. It had always been Di'Fier's father's domain, kept immaculately tidy and clean. Now the wooden floor was dark and sticky with blood, pooled around a still and crumpled form.
"Hey, Di'Fier," came Jaffar's gravelly greeting as the Special Crimes Unit staggered into Watch headquarters. "Your pris - hey, you guys look like sh-t, you know that?" As the Watch-Lieutenant wearily gestured for him to continue, the swarthy man shrugged. "Your prisoner is pretty p-ss-d off. He was yellin' for a while until we got tired of listening to him and put the gag back in."
Di'Fier had to chuckle. "He's probably wondering when we're going to set him free. Thanks, Jaffar, I'll take care of it." He started back towards the prisoner's room, but had only made it a few feet before he was intercepted by another form, this one half-hidden behind a towering stack of files. Only the sprig of unruly hair sprouting upwards from the back of the head let Di'Fier identify him as Spruce.
"Di'Fier," the records clerk hissed urgently, and gestured him aside with a nod of his head. Setting the files down, he looked up at the mage through his thick spectacles. "You know I can keep a secret, right?" he asked plaintively. "This thing with Dru...going back to the Naïlos. It's a story, right? She's undercover for the Watch." The clerk's eyes begged Di'Fier to agree. "Right?"
Di'Fier licked his lips, trying to decide what to say. "You know I can't tell you, Spruce," he began. "But...let's just say I had some help in confiscating those crates in the special evidence room."
Relief spread across Spruce's face. "I knew it. I knew she wouldn't really go back." He hefted the files. "I have to go get these to the Captain."
Katya strolled over, watching the clerk go quzzically, but she didn't ask about the conversation. Instead: "Have you decided what we're going to do about our little friend in there?" She nodded towards the door Di'Fier had been heading towards - a door from behind which they could hear muffled protestations.
Di'Fier shook his head. "I can't think of a good way to let him go...and he
is our only clue. Let's go see what he has to say this time around. Maybe he'll spill something else."
The door banged open, admitting Kliege - strangely,
sans Davos. "There's a mob at the Sea Lord's palace," he called. "We need some backup, fast, or it's going to get ugly!"
Di'Fier turned. The prisoner could wait. "What do they want?"
"A Sea Lord."
Dru knelt, heedless of the drying blood. She could see the old man's chest still weakly rise and fall as she pulled forth one of her healing potions, pouring it into his open mouth.
Ellerand lifted him slightly, to help him swallow - and frowned. "Dru - this doesn't feel right. I can feel bones grinding in his back. I think he's hurt even worse than he looks."
"Then we'll just give him more potions," Dru said, already pouring one into his mouth.
"I'm not sure the potions will heal everything that was done to him. If his spine was broken..."
The old man's eyes were beginning to move. The wounds on his body were closing, but he still looked corpse-pale and cold. His hand twitched weakly on Dru's arm and he looked up at her. "Tell my son that they took her back," he whispered.
Dru pushed the white hair back from his face. "You'll be able to tell him yourself," she said.
"Tell him the girl is gone," Di'Fier's father insisted. "But don't tell him anything else."
Di'Fier looked at the crowd - Kliege was right, it was only a matter of time before things got ugly. Shouts demanding a Sea Lord rose from various parts of the mob.
At least they're not chanting, he thought.
You know
it's going to get nasty when they start chanting. "Quooral? Make us a path to the gate."
Quooral nodded, and waded into the throng, parting the crowd with ease and breaking a path for the others. A few moments later, they were at the gate.
"No sign of the Sea Lord's Guard, of course," observed Di'Fier. "All right, Quooral - give me a boost." The genasi lifted the mage easily onto his wide shoulders and straightened.
Di'Fier waved his hands.
Nobody's throwing things yet - that could be a positive sign. "People of Freeport!" he called out. "People of Freeport, your attention!"
The crowd quieted grudgingly to a murmur, and Di'Fier continued. "There
will be a Sea Lord," he told them. "The Sea Lord is being chosen. But this demonstration will not speed up the process." There were a few shouts of outrage, but he raised his hands again. "If you would like, you may show your approval for one of the candidates."
That was new, and it seemed to stymie the mob for a moment. Di'Fier pressed on. "Who would like to see Captain Andrea Blax as the new Sea Lord?" More than half the crowd erupted in drunken approval - the core of it from a group of pirates near the back.
Di'Fier gave them a moment to quiet down, and continued. "What about...Lady Elise Grossette?"
An objector shouted, "She's not a Drac!", but his voice was drowned out by another rousing cheer.
"Captain Arias Soderheim?" The approval was beginning to taper off. Was it because Soderheim was not as popular, or was the crowd merely getting bored?
"And the mystery candidate?" Only a few 'hurrahs' remained - at least one of whom Di'Fier noted had cheered just as vigorously for the previous three candidates.
Maybe he just enjoys cheering...
Di'Fier smiled at the milling people. "Your government thanks you for your contribution. You may now return to your homes." He climbed down from Quooral's soldiers and watched as people began to trickle away.
Well, at least that's over with...
Then, much to his dismay, a murmur spread through the crowd, and it began to thicken again. Casting a glance over his shoulder through the gate, Di'Fier could see the slender form of Councillor Soderheim approaching.
"Ah, Watch-Lieutenant," said the half-elf. "I see you've got our little problem well in hand."
I did, Di'Fier grumbled mentally, as the crowd pressed forward.
"Please, if you would be so kind as to pass along another message - the Council has determined that a new vote on the repeal of the succession law will be taken tomorrow morning."
Di'Fier shared a glance with Katya.
And they've still got Nifur Roberts. We've got to take care of this now, he thought.
I guess we won't be letting our prisoner go tonight after all.
