Paridon: The Dark Metropolis (Ravenloft)

[Le Noir Faineant]

Calahan gives Father Berman a look that would make little children cry for their mommies.

Unnerved, the forester begins to chew on something he apparently had stored in the bag of his cheek for a while.

"I did what I had to do to, Sir. Judge me on the results."

He seems to think to himself for a moment, then swallows, and adds:

"Torhan was a warrior, not just a civilian with a sword.
You need more men like him here, and less of the other kind."

 

[InVinoVeritas]

Gis clears his throat. He looks directly into Calahan's eyes. With the care and delicacy of a man used to seeing the battles against crime and evil, he calmly explains his concerns.

"That is the problem I face, Calahan. You would be wise to hope that I do not judge you by the results of your actions. If, according to what Fr. Berman tells me, you did set the explosives, the result was the collapse of the wing, and the death of--as you said--a desperately needed warrior. Such behavior would need to be viewed as a negligent destruction of police resources at best, and foul murder of a great hero at worst."

Gis closes his eyes, and taps the table in time with his clock. The silence grows palpable.

Then he speaks. "Does anyone have anything further to say about this situation?"

 

[Le Noir Faineant]

Callahan's pale faces darkens as he is lectured by his superior in that way,
though he falls silent again after Gis has finished, quietly shaking his head.

However, as Gis asks if there is something more to add, he cannot hold on himself any more, and jumps up from his chair.

"SIR --- I am not a man of words, like others here. Me thinks that it is idle to discuss now what we could have done better
However, since it seems that I am to take all of the blame, let's talk openly:
If some of us hadn't panicked every time we met something that would upset their delicate stomachs, or been more efficient in killing that bastard earlier,
I wouldn't have been forced to put our lives on the line to finish it off.
- Which I did without hesitation, because I still value the lives of the innocent people of this city more than my own. If I hadn't used the bomb, that monstrosity would have butchered us one after another, and would still be out there on its rampage now."

Calahan leans over the table, his eyes narrow and the knuckles of his fists white.
Then, however, he takes a deep breath and crosses his arms.

"You know that I AM a murderer, Sir.
But to kill an enemy as dangerous as the one we just faced, you would have done just the same. Because you are not a coward."

 

[jkason]

Ru Brike, barbaric human monk

"SIR --- I am not a man of words, like others here. Me thinks that it is idle to discuss now what we could have done better
However, since it seems that I am to take all of the blame, let's talk openly:
If some of us hadn't panicked every time we met something that would upset their delicate stomachs, or been more efficient in killing that bastard earlier,
I wouldn't have been forced to put our lives on the line to finish it off. "

Ru's eyes narrow and his lips thin, but he breathes evenly before speaking.

"Master," he says, his voice calm even if his body language says otherwise. "Whether we might have done better with more warning, the fact is that none of us was quite prepared to face that beast, and all of our actions were fairly uncoordinated.

"Tohran survived the explosion, as did we all, and then he re-entered the blaze to try to finish the beast. However compromised he was by Calahan's actions, in the end Tohran's death was of his own choosing. "

 

[Rhun]

"I was not there to witness the events," says Perrin to Gis, "and perhaps Calahan's actions were impulsive and ill thought out. But it seems those very actions were also instrumental in defeating the menace that had been plaguing the city. And, as you say, we need every warrior we can get. We will sorely miss Torhan, but to lose two constables over these events would be an even greater blow to the force."

 

[kinem]

"Actually" Father Berman stated "I agree. What I think Callahan needs is not dismissal but discipline. He must learn to control his actions even in desperate moments and when suffering pain.

I expect that some requirement will be made of him as a condition of his continued good standing. If I may humbly offer a suggestion, he ought to train some with the monks of my order - not to be initiated of course, merely to learn some self control techniques. There is certainly no shame in such training - some of the best fighters in the city have done it.

Alternatively, if that is impractical, I would be willing to offer my services as a sort of tutor for him."

In other words, I'd get to inflict pain on him, and he'd have to learn to deal with it.

 

[InVinoVeritas]

Chapter 6: Something Borrowed, Something Blue

[sblock=Darian]Oh, this is rich. Discipline in this case will be so... rewarding.[/sblock]

Gis nods. "Very well, then."

He stands straight up. He turns to Calahan. "Calahan, you are innocent of foul murder. You have not negligently destroyed police property. You have acted to defend the city against a considerable threat, one which has managed to kill seven in just the past 24 hours. For that, you are to be commended."

He looks around to everyone else. "However... you had not adequately communicated the risks of your actions to others. Furthermore, your defense of yourself here has shown a clearly condescending tone to your company members--which I will not allow. You need to be able to trust these gentlemen with your life. They need to be able to trust you with theirs. If you are unwilling to do this with this team for whatever reason, you may put in for a transfer. If you wish to remain with the team, then they will need to work with you to rebuild their trust."

"That rebuilding will commence tomorrow, however. We are all too exhausted by this day. We have found and defeated the result of last night's murder, but the original murderer is still on the loose. We still have five people in custody: Pigglemorth, Alek, Sasha..." he clears his throat... "Marionette and Kitten. What role do they play? Someone is going to have to break the sad news to them, and we shouldn't keep them much longer without probable cause, now that the monster has been stopped."

"Oh, and Perrin? Welcome back to the Rose Company. Good thing the park thing turned out to be nothing."

 

[industrygothica]

Darian fights a grin that would rival the wickedness of Calahan's. He shuts the voice in his head out, at least the best he can. He'll deal with that later.

He stands up, straightens his ash-covered jacket, and clears his throat. "Yes, we should tell Alek, though I'm sure he already knows..." He turns to step out of the room, dreading setting eyes on the little man again.

 

[jkason]

Ru Brike, barbaric human monk

Ru nods and bows to Master Gis. As Darian turns to leave, Ru follows close behind.

"I'll join you, Darian. Alek seems to find me ... amusing," he says, clearly unsettled with the realization. "Maybe that will help alleviate whatever more violent response he might be prone to."

 

[InVinoVeritas]

The company leaves Gis's office. Gis shakes his head slightly as the group leaves, with a worried look.

In the dungeons, Mogson greets the party and escorts everyone to Alek's cell. The door is opened. Inside, the masked gnome sits, back against the wall, clothing remaining impossibly white against the backdrop of the dusty, decrepit floor. He does not move as everyone enters.

"So, have you pulled the information you wanted out of my pets? Did they show you... gratitude for taking their masks off?"

With a flick of his neck, he meets Darian's gaze. "Garl! You've grown painful, friend. You must really have enjoyed Marionette. And--"his voice lightens in epiphany--"you haven't taken her mask off, yet, have you? I understand. I prefer her that way myself."

[sblock=Darian]
He has you there. But you don't need her mouth to make her speak anymore. Besides, I think your shock will be greater than his!
[/sblock]