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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1073595" data-attributes="member: 1210">Metal HatsSheva muses over Cicero.  She naps an hour each night, but otherwise rarely sleeps.  She's amused by his peculiar ethics- always selling his vote and trading influence, but blanching at his reward from the thieves' guild.  He had refused, muttering, "A person like me can't take money from a person like you... here," he'd decided, writing out a receipt, "thank you for your donation to, um, some charity, we'll look that up later..."  And she was sure he would, too.  A rare smile plays over her lips.  Cicero could be useful.In the morning, Cicero wakes up and dispatches a message to Estelias' home regarding their date, requesting her presence 'the sooner the better.'  Then, feeling it's time to tackle another of his problems a little less obliquely, he takes Sonti and Fonzi, the twins, into his study and sits down to talk with him."Look," he says, "you seem very interested in the Forinthian ambassador, and you seem very receptive to him.""Well, he's a human like me..."Cicero cuts whichever one that was off.  "Yeah, well, people around here largely don't feel the same way.  Now, I'm neutral on the subject- but not everyone around here feels the same way.  If you talk up Forinthia too much, you may invoke harsh feelings.  Keep in mind that these people have been in the center of several invasions here, with Forinthia being involved in all of them.""Maybe they don't see the benefits of Forinthian civilization," Sonti suggests.Cicero pauses thoughtfully.  "What benefits?"  He stares at Sonti.  "How would it benefit someone like me- not me, of course, but someone like me, in a similar position, with similar resources and goals- to aid them?""Salvation," Sonti says with a deep conviction."It's great," Fonzi says.  "It will be powerful again.  You heard the ambassador.  Tirchond should be part of it.""You can always go there," Cicero points out."Why go there when you can bring it here?""Well, you still haven't said how it would benefit someone who was substantially not me but was a lot like me to aid them, so I'll give you two a special mission: find out.  But say nothing in public, you fools!"  Forthwith he dispatches Fonzi with an invitation for the ambassador to meet him at a seedy bar.Fonzi departs, heading to the inn the ambassador is staying in.  Here he talks his way through the concierge, who goes to see if the ambassador's available.  When he returns, however, he tells Fonzi that the ambassador is 'indisposed'.  Fonzi therefore leaves a message for him, exhorting the ambassador to meet with Fonzi and his fellow humans.  He does not, however, deliver Cicero's message, for which he is upbraided as ineffective by Cicero.  This leads into a short debate on profanity and a sibling rivalry moment between the twins over who's the better diplomat.While they're distracted, Cicero sneaks in a detect thoughts spell.  The twins feel a mental intrusion but assume it's someone in the crowd, looking hungrily around for trouble.  Cicero wants none of that, so he encourages their confusion, presses ten gold into Sonti's hand and sends him to go buy metal hats for all of them ("to interfere with mental influences and mind reading powers," Cicero claims).  With a dubious look, Sonti goes.When Cicero gives his aides their hour lunch break, Fonzi goes again to the ambassador's temporary residence.  The concierge, thinking he's his twin, motions for him to wait and then hurries away, returning with a dwarf.  "Are you Montanah*?" the dwarf growls.  Fonzi nods.  The dwarf gestures for him to follow and leads him from the inn.Meanwhile, on the road to town, a small carriage drawn by garen is bouncing over the gravel.  Within it- the last of our principals to enter the tale, Zeebo Swaysac, returning to the Shining City fresh from his re-election as Mayor of Swayzeville.  A prodigious spellcaster, Zeebo is both wizard and sorcerer.  Blessed- or perhaps cursed- by Chaos with enormous fertility, he has at least two children (that he knows of) and needs that cannot be entirely denied.  Zeebo is another powerhouse in the Council, another member of the Commission on Extraplanar Affairs, and another old adventuring companion of both Sheva and Cicero.  In fact, he is recently slain; were it not for <a href="http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=928292#post928292" target="_blank">Sheva's giving up of her sword Chronovestis, the Blade of Time,</a> he would be depleted, weaker than he is.  He owes her much and he knows it.Zeebo sighs happily as he rolls up the town's road towards his modest home, but when he gets there he finds an ugent summons sealed in red wax- an urgent affair of state, and one that he missed, as it was set for last night!  So he heads to the Council Chamber...*Sonti's real name, and the one he left on the note for the ambassador.Next Time: Military ideas, Fonzi meets Ambassador Mayflower, and a strange offer!</blockquote>

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