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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 1505106" data-attributes="member: 15043">This marks the start of the 18th session, as our heroes find a predicament of a new and strange sort...And I'm typing this from memory with no notes... so forgiveness is begged ahead of time from the players (if something is amiss... LET ME KNOW SO I CAN EDIT <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> )Um.... Yeah... Your Daughter and Your Son...Dark clouds, tired clouds, hovered over Siabrey as she went up to the throne room, grumbling.Its the eve of a major battle in the city.  I doubt any petitioners will be – “Dammit!” she hissed under her breath as the doors to the audience hall were opened, revealing a loose gaggle of petitioners waiting... all of which flooded towards her liek vultures diving in on a fresh caracass.“Majesty!” a very familiar and very annoying voice called.  “It is me, Lord Varron!  I know the Emperor is in the palace but indisposed!  I wish for my case to be heard!” ‘three acre man’ jumped up and down, at one point grabbing part of her armor.  At this gesture, Siabrey spun around, her eyes smoldering with fury.“Sir, unhand me this instant!” she snarled, and the eager noble’s face fell, and he removed his hand.  You have to be regal, Siabrey!  You’re in Alexander’s place for a few more days! The fighter gave a very reluctant sigh.  “I’m... sorry.  I fought in the battle, and it has been a long day.  Lord Varron,” she forced an unemotional pallor to her face, “please... where is the second party to this case.  I can hear the briefest of summations tonight... tomorrow your case will be judged.”  Gives me time to talk to Alex tomorrow morning to ask how the hell one judges a case!The noble, to her relief, appeared ecstatic.  A few moments later a taller, grim faced man arrived, and by the sneer he gave Lord Varron, it was apparent he was the person Varron intended to charge.“Lord Wychilis, Majesty,” the taller man bowed.  “I beg your Majesty to hear my side of the – ““I am, m’lord,” Siabrey cut him off.  “Now.  The one minute version... Wychilis, you first,” she pointed, and Varron’s eyes fell into pout.Wychilis went on to describe how there were three acres of disputed lands on the border between their two baronies... three acres that included a lucrative grain mill.  Wychilis produced documents signed by Varron’s father indicating the land belonged to his family.  When it was Varron’s turn, he said mostly the same, save he produced documents proving it belonged to his family.  The two were near blows when Siabrey cleared her throat.Two sets of documents!  Two annoying petitioners!  Great!  I need some air... NOW.“Okay... now that I know your summations, I’ll consider this matter through the night, and tomorrow you will have a judgement,” the fighter said quickly.  Neither lord, to her happiness, dared to say anything crosswise... the could see they feared for their cases for some reason other than not having enough evidence.“I need a breath of air... and after that... bed,” she muttered to herself as she started to leave the room.  A chorus of protests came from those petitioners still in the room, which she ignored.  As the Chamberlain announced that no more petitions would be heard for the day when Siabrey crossed the threshold of the room, she felt a hand grab the back of her armor, and a pleading voice reach her ear.“Please!  Your Highness!  A minute!”Damn this rabid dog sons of Loviatar harlot petitioners! Siabrey swore, spinning around with full intents of berating the man loudly and publicly.  As her furious eyes caught glimpse of him, she suddenly stopped, her mouth agape as the first curse was on the tip of her tongue.“Please, Highness... its about my daughter!” the man, graying with spectacles says.  His eyes are pleading, near tears, and he wears the same blue vest and white trousers as he did when Siabrey saw him what seemed a lifetime ago... in a magic shop in Kulloden.“Please, Majesty!  My daughter, she disappeared, some months ago, just before the orcs raided Kulloden!  No one from the city is willing to go look for her, they are too busy with their own needs!  So I come here,” he was now on the ground, starting to prostrate himself, “I beg you to send some of your best hunters to find my Elenya!  Or find her body, so she may be decently buried beside her mother!  Please!”  The older man’s frame rocked back and forth, as he clasped his hands together, tears rolling down his face.Siabrey’s stern face broke into a massive grin, as her mind put together who this actually was.“Quinnias?” she asked, and the man paused for a second, slightly preturbed.  “Quinnas!  Rise! Rise rise rise,” she grabbed him and helped him up.  The shopkeep’s eyes were wide now, as a royal family member had helped him rise... it was clear he didn’t remember her.“Quinnias... some months ago myself and comrades bought magic items from your shop,” she started, before deciding to jump straight to what he evidently wanted to know.  “Quinnias... I have news of your daughter.  Please... come with-““You do!?  Thank you, Highness!  Thank you!” he was already starting to prostrate himself again, before Siabrey could grab him and heft him to his feet... again.“Quinnias, that’s not necessary.  Please come with-““STOP!” a loud, roar voice called from behind them.  As Siabrey turned around in annoyance, she saw a large, rotund man, dressed in fine orange, blue, and green robes of a well-to-do merchant, ambling out of the audience hall, rushing straight towards Quinnias.  “STOP!  Let me present my side of the case!  And Your Highness, you will see that this shopkeep is a charlatan!”“He is Abraham Dice, a merchant that is trying to buy out all the magic shops in Kulloden... and he roughed up and damaged mine when I wouldn’t sell!” Quinnias answered Siabrey’s unspoken question as the man rumbled forward.Abraham Dice?  Isn’t Shaun’s last na.... oh no... this is too funny! her mind giggled.  The emotion nearly made it to her face, but she managed to suppress the entirely inappropriate urge to snicker, and kept her face in a half confused look.“This man is a trickster and a charlatan!  Coming here to Irulas to plead his case when I am not present to present a defense!  Cur!” the merchant Dice snarled.  “He signed a contract, Highness!  A CONTRACT!” Dice roared, producing a piece of paper.  Siabrey took it and read it over, but the look of shock and confusion on Quinnias’ face told her that he didn’t know of such contract.Another case... she sighed.  I’m going to put this one on the backburner... there’s more important things to deal with right now... like the children of these two fathers.“Mr. Barachis?  Mr. Dice,” she started slowly.  “I’ll... have someone take a look at this case tomorrow.  As for now,” she let a slight grin come through, “I have news on both of your children.”The reactions to the statement by the fathers could not have been more opposite.  While the shopkeep’s face lit up at the mentioning of his child, the rich merchant uttered a harsh growl.“What, Mr. Dice?  You do not wish to hear of your son?” Siabrey asked with a raised eyebrow.“My son is a charlatan... a coward, and a measely thief.  A father in all his rights would toss a mongrel like that to the streets,” the man growled.  “My son is in prison, yes?  About to be executed, yes?  I don’t care, he brought it on his own head,” the merchant waved dismissively.“No... no no no.  Would both of you accompany me to a private drawing room?” Siabrey asked, hiding her look of disgust at the merchant Dice’s comments.   “Well,” Siabrey said a few minutes later as the door to a private drawing room was closed for their privacy.  “As I said, I have news.  First... Quinnias.  Your daughter is alive and well,” Siabrey smiled, and the old man fell to his knees, whispering silent praises to Pelor.  Gently Siabrey brought him to his feet, adding, “that is not all, dear Quinnias.  Your daughter... and his son,” she motioned to Abraham, “are... um... well... they’ve been married for about a month now.”“WHAT!?” the merchant roared, “My son!  Cavorts with the undoubtedly harlot that came from his loins!?  Truly, if he is up for punishment he deserves it!” the man spat, and Siabrey was forced to grit her teeth.  Quinnias, for his part, looked on in shocked confusion.“And... both of you, are going to be grandfathers,” she added, “three times over.”A split second later she thanked her combat reflexes, which allowed her to catch the fainting Quinnias before he reached the ground.  As she lightly fanned the poor man, the merchant Dice continued his rumblings.“My son, fornicating with his spawn!  Outrageous!  He truly is good for nothing!”“Your son is a knight, a baron, Mr. Dice!” Siabrey finally snapped, unable to hold herself in check any longer.  “He has done many a great service not only to this Empire, but saving my life, and the life of the Crown Prince!  It was my honor to fight by his side!”You son of Loviatar’s Nosehairs! she mentally cursed at him.At her outburst, the merchant’s face, too, went into shock and confusion.  He stood there for a few moments... wavering, before slowly, cautiously he opened his mouth.“Shaun is... ennobled?” he asked, and Siabrey vigorously nodded her head as she fanned the poor shopkeep.  The merchant’s mind stopped for another few seconds, before she could feel the smarmy smile that was undoubtedly forming in his soul.“So... Shaun has made something of himself... he...he does me proud!” the man said quietly, a sniffle coming from him.  “A noble?  Lord Dice?” he asked.There are gold coins dancing in his head, Siabrey thought, easily reading through the merchant’s bluster.  Now that he knows his son is worth quite a bit of cash possibly... he wants a cut... vile wretch!“Perhaps I should meet him... if he has changed... can not a father’s heart change as well?” the merchant said.  Siabrey inwardly thought his voice dripped with ulterior motives.“Why yes,” she said pleasantly, covering up her disgust.  “I truly expect a father’s heart to change in such a circumstance.”  She looked down as Quinnias’ eyes fluttered open, the old man coming to making her smile.  “Tell you what.  I can arrange for you two to stay here, in the palace tonight... and tomorrow we can review your cases, and... in possible,” she added, not knowing if Shaun would really want to see his father, “arrange for both of you to see your children.”“Excellent idea,” the merchant rubbed his hands together, already relishing the thought of sleeping in the Governor’s Imperial Palace.  Quinnias merely nodded, and Siabrey helped him up.After seeing to their arrangements, the fighter quietly went back to the room where the party and Alexander had collapsed in sleep.  She carefully placed a note on Shaun’s chest, that cryptically read:”Shaun, Elenya:Your parents are here.  They were fighting, didn’t know about you two.  I told them... Elenya, your dad wants to meet you two.  Shaun, your dad’s a creep.”</blockquote>

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