drnuncheon
Explorer
Session Twelve, Part Five: Conclusion
Special Friday Update! I normally don't post on Fridays since I'm usually too busy planning for the game, but I'm actually ahead of myself for once, so I thought I would not leave you hanging all weekend...
As the Sea Lord's Guard raised their muskets, Di'Fier could hear shots being fired outside. How long has that been going on? And who could they be shooting at? he wondered, mentally swinging the disc of force to cover himself. The blood still ran from the wounds Soderheim had given him, pooling at his feet, and he felt dizzy - there was no way he could remain standing for long.
Dru bent, picking up Soderheim's blade. On her, too, the blood coursed out of her wounds, staining her clothes a violent crimson. She took a step towards the guards, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Arias Soderheim is dead," she stated, her gaze flicking over each of the men. "His attempted coup has failed." The blade swept across the room to encompass all of the Guards in its arc, and Dru took another step forward. "Drop. Your. Weapons."
There was a clatter of metal and wood on the polished stone floor as the quailing Guard did as they were told. Outside, the firing had ceased, and Di'Fier turned as he heard the front doors of the Palace being forced open. His face split into a grin as the first figure through was the familiar form of Quooral Stonecypher, Glunnyn strapped to his back, and much of the rest of the Watch in tow. He could see that several of them were holding pistols and muskets, some still smoking from use.
The Watch moved to secure the prisoners as Captain Donnach approached. "Good work, Watch-Lieutenants." At Dru's look of confusion, he turned to her. "I brought your orders, just in case there was any problem."
Dru pulled Donnach to the side. "What are you doing, Captain?" She looked down at the orders, seeing the smudge his thumb had left when he opned them. Orders for Watch-Lieutenants Dru and Di'Fier to conduct undercover operations posing as renegade Watchmen...
The Captain offered one of his rare smiles. "I didn't want you to think you had burned any bridges. You're too good to be on the other side."
Di'Fier grinned at his teammates as Katya tended his wounds. "Remember what I said at that exercise, when I said I wouldn't make a good criminal? I was wrong. I make a great criminal."
Dru walked through the halls of the Naïlo safehouse like a ghost. She'd thought that the Captain's claim that she was working undercover would have caused trouble, but it was as if everyone else had something on their minds. One of the elves sat, pale and stunned, holding something in his hand. As Dru approached, he looked up and fear shot through his eyes.
"I swear, it was only talk!" he choked. "I never would have betrayed your father."
Dru looked down at the object he was clutching.
A single rose.
"Do not torment them, Drusilia," came a voice from behind her.
She whirled. "Papa?!" Then she was across the room, colliding with him, wrapping her arms around him. "I thought you were dead!"
Tensin merely nodded, drawing her into his office and closing the door. "That was, after all, the intention. Without the power vacuum caused by my sudden disappearance - a rumor which, despite Kennic's best efforts, still managed to get out - I could not be certain who exactly was planning to move against me."
"And so Galanodel left them all a warning..."
Tensin poured them each a cup of wine, handing one hammered gold goblet over to his daughter. "I trust that Emil has spoken to you already. We had a fascinating conversation."
{i]Emil?[/i] It too her a moment to realize who he was talking about. Since when is Papa on a first name basis with the Captain? "So you gave the weapons to the Watch..."
"I did. They are loud, unsubtle, and frequently explosive. I reasoned that he was more used to dealing with such things than I was." For some reason, his eyes rested on his daughter when he made that remark. "There was a price for the aid, however."
"There always is, isn't there?"
"I asked him to reinstate you to the Watch." At Dru's protest, he raised a hand. "Daughter...we both know your heart is not in my profession. If it had been, you would have been running this organization from the moment of my disappearance - and I may well have stayed gone." He hesitated for a moment, uncharacteristically. "I saw the trouble with the Dragon's Claw as an excuse to bring you back to the fold," he continued. "But the Watch was the life you had made for yourself, and I was wrong to try to take it away from you."
"The Dragon's Claw isn't gone yet, Papa. Ulric got away."
"I have faith that given the newfound cooperation between myself, the other crime leaders," and here Tensin allowed himself a slight smile, "and Emil, we will be able to handle the Claw. Their plan has been defeated - they will hide and lick their wounds for a while.
Di'Fier lifted the copy of the Shipping News with trepidation, remembering the last time this many council members had died near him and Dru.
"COUNCIL SLAUGHTER LEAVES ROBERTS SEA LORD," read the headlines. So far, so good. Underneath, in smaller type: Criminal Coup Foiled by Undercover Guardsmen.
"Guardsmen?!"
Moments later, the severed halves of the paper were in the fire, along with the splintered remnants of yet another table.
Ulric Dragosani gripped the edge of the desk, his claws digging furrows in the hard wood. Soderheim dead, Roberts in power, Naïlo rallying the other crimelords against me...what else could go wrong?
The voice that spoke answered that question quite nicely. "Ulric."
The half-dragon looked up, his eyes widening as he saw who it was. "Father?"
"Don't be an idiot. He is far too busy to come oversee your pitiful attempts at revolution. However, those pitiful attempts are exactly why he decided he needed someone he could trust in charge here. Hence, me."
"But I-"
"You are going home. Your father wishes to speak to you."
- End of Session Twelve -
Special Friday Update! I normally don't post on Fridays since I'm usually too busy planning for the game, but I'm actually ahead of myself for once, so I thought I would not leave you hanging all weekend...
As the Sea Lord's Guard raised their muskets, Di'Fier could hear shots being fired outside. How long has that been going on? And who could they be shooting at? he wondered, mentally swinging the disc of force to cover himself. The blood still ran from the wounds Soderheim had given him, pooling at his feet, and he felt dizzy - there was no way he could remain standing for long.
Dru bent, picking up Soderheim's blade. On her, too, the blood coursed out of her wounds, staining her clothes a violent crimson. She took a step towards the guards, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Arias Soderheim is dead," she stated, her gaze flicking over each of the men. "His attempted coup has failed." The blade swept across the room to encompass all of the Guards in its arc, and Dru took another step forward. "Drop. Your. Weapons."
There was a clatter of metal and wood on the polished stone floor as the quailing Guard did as they were told. Outside, the firing had ceased, and Di'Fier turned as he heard the front doors of the Palace being forced open. His face split into a grin as the first figure through was the familiar form of Quooral Stonecypher, Glunnyn strapped to his back, and much of the rest of the Watch in tow. He could see that several of them were holding pistols and muskets, some still smoking from use.
The Watch moved to secure the prisoners as Captain Donnach approached. "Good work, Watch-Lieutenants." At Dru's look of confusion, he turned to her. "I brought your orders, just in case there was any problem."
Dru pulled Donnach to the side. "What are you doing, Captain?" She looked down at the orders, seeing the smudge his thumb had left when he opned them. Orders for Watch-Lieutenants Dru and Di'Fier to conduct undercover operations posing as renegade Watchmen...
The Captain offered one of his rare smiles. "I didn't want you to think you had burned any bridges. You're too good to be on the other side."
Di'Fier grinned at his teammates as Katya tended his wounds. "Remember what I said at that exercise, when I said I wouldn't make a good criminal? I was wrong. I make a great criminal."
Dru walked through the halls of the Naïlo safehouse like a ghost. She'd thought that the Captain's claim that she was working undercover would have caused trouble, but it was as if everyone else had something on their minds. One of the elves sat, pale and stunned, holding something in his hand. As Dru approached, he looked up and fear shot through his eyes.
"I swear, it was only talk!" he choked. "I never would have betrayed your father."
Dru looked down at the object he was clutching.
A single rose.
"Do not torment them, Drusilia," came a voice from behind her.
She whirled. "Papa?!" Then she was across the room, colliding with him, wrapping her arms around him. "I thought you were dead!"
Tensin merely nodded, drawing her into his office and closing the door. "That was, after all, the intention. Without the power vacuum caused by my sudden disappearance - a rumor which, despite Kennic's best efforts, still managed to get out - I could not be certain who exactly was planning to move against me."
"And so Galanodel left them all a warning..."
Tensin poured them each a cup of wine, handing one hammered gold goblet over to his daughter. "I trust that Emil has spoken to you already. We had a fascinating conversation."
{i]Emil?[/i] It too her a moment to realize who he was talking about. Since when is Papa on a first name basis with the Captain? "So you gave the weapons to the Watch..."
"I did. They are loud, unsubtle, and frequently explosive. I reasoned that he was more used to dealing with such things than I was." For some reason, his eyes rested on his daughter when he made that remark. "There was a price for the aid, however."
"There always is, isn't there?"
"I asked him to reinstate you to the Watch." At Dru's protest, he raised a hand. "Daughter...we both know your heart is not in my profession. If it had been, you would have been running this organization from the moment of my disappearance - and I may well have stayed gone." He hesitated for a moment, uncharacteristically. "I saw the trouble with the Dragon's Claw as an excuse to bring you back to the fold," he continued. "But the Watch was the life you had made for yourself, and I was wrong to try to take it away from you."
"The Dragon's Claw isn't gone yet, Papa. Ulric got away."
"I have faith that given the newfound cooperation between myself, the other crime leaders," and here Tensin allowed himself a slight smile, "and Emil, we will be able to handle the Claw. Their plan has been defeated - they will hide and lick their wounds for a while.
Di'Fier lifted the copy of the Shipping News with trepidation, remembering the last time this many council members had died near him and Dru.
"COUNCIL SLAUGHTER LEAVES ROBERTS SEA LORD," read the headlines. So far, so good. Underneath, in smaller type: Criminal Coup Foiled by Undercover Guardsmen.
"Guardsmen?!"
Moments later, the severed halves of the paper were in the fire, along with the splintered remnants of yet another table.
Ulric Dragosani gripped the edge of the desk, his claws digging furrows in the hard wood. Soderheim dead, Roberts in power, Naïlo rallying the other crimelords against me...what else could go wrong?
The voice that spoke answered that question quite nicely. "Ulric."
The half-dragon looked up, his eyes widening as he saw who it was. "Father?"
"Don't be an idiot. He is far too busy to come oversee your pitiful attempts at revolution. However, those pitiful attempts are exactly why he decided he needed someone he could trust in charge here. Hence, me."
"But I-"
"You are going home. Your father wishes to speak to you."
- End of Session Twelve -
