Originally Posted by Salthorae
"Mezzenbone is not like me, no. He is a Great Wyrm Red, Emperor, King of Assamet, and Grand Duke of House Mazorgrim. His head drooping at the horror Eltan sees in this small skirmish. "Unfortunately, if your planet is as rich in magic and minerals as reports speak, there is little chance at finding solace from him. As to the Grand Duke Kupric... politics in the empire are complicated at best. Imagine the tenuous balance that must be struck in order to allow ten galaxy spanning houses of the various dragons to maintain even a modicum of harmony. The Grand Duke does what he can, but he is bound by the limitations of politics. Something I am sure you are all to familiar with as a ruler of this city."
"It sounds to me like this empire of yours is a many-headed hydra that likes to argue on how best to eat its victims," Eltan shakes his head in disbelief.
"A red dragon as a ruler. I would not like that for Toril or wish it on anyone. You have my sympathies that you must live through such an age of, what is most likely, fear and death. Reds are vicious creatures and if your emperor is as brutal as the few red's I've fought in my life, the world is in serious trouble indeed. And he has an entire empire of stars behind him. Frightening."
Eltan speaks to Shazer'a as the two of them lead the way towards the High House of Wonders. The others follow along while helping the Flaming Fists take the wounded to the temple. Nel stays with the hobgoblin to watch over him for his protection. Rodan helps Carnda with the wounded. Most of those who could walk do so while the others are carried on makeshift stretchers put together by the raptorian. A wagon eventually arrives along the way and the worst are placed carefully in the back and held down as the horse-drawn wagon moves towards the temple of Gond.
"I assume this Grand Duke Kupric of yours is a dragon as well? Ten great houses of dragons all with there own motives, I take it? It is a dangerous stellar sphere we all live in, it seems. Well beyond anything my tutors taught me when I was a boy."
Originally Posted by Salthorae
Looking at the unconscious hobgoblin, "if he as he claims, an agent of the Royal Exploratory Service, he is also one of your best chances for gaining official succor from an actual legionnaire invasion. The law that allows the Empire to maintain it's careful balance is the Principle of Active Morality. Regardless of ones race or moral inclinations, you can only be judged based on your actions. With that, all creatures are able to be a part of the whole even drow and red dragons. Without that, our society wouldn't begin to function."
"I imagine such a code would be hard to enforce in such a vast empire as you describe. If he is truthful then I will judge him not by his race but by his words. The other Grand Dukes might not be so forgiving, however. My voice is not the only one that matters in Baldur's Gate.
"In all, there are four Grand Dukes in Baldur's Gate, so in one way, my city is much like your empire but still tiny in comparison. The difference is all our voices are equal. There are no kings or emperors here. The people would not stand for it. *I* would not stand for it."
Along the way, the Fists and heroes come across other citizens of the city who were injured by the storm. Soon everyone, even the Grand Duke, is helping the wounded to the temple. He carries a small half-elven boy in his arms while Shazer'a lends a shoulder to a tall man with a huge gash on his forehead. Shaz can tell that the man likely has a concussion but there is no more room in the wagon.
Rodan and Carnda soon have their hands full.
Originally Posted by Salthorae
"Zougrim is a dangerous individual and a dangerous pirate, but abaondoned by his crew and without his own transport...? I cannot say for sure, but my guess is that he will seek to find a way off planet rather than risk being stranded on a backworld that may about to be slagged by the Empire for its resources. If you are concerned about his presence in your city, I and these others who gathered to fight here today can hunt for him. As to defenses, if you can magically ward your soldiers and buildings against fire and electricity, you can blunt their main weapon's capacity for damage."
"It might be a concern if he finds he has no where to turn out in the wilds. With you all here, I doubt he'd be eager to return. He'd be facing equals who have numbers. I will have the Flaming Fists keep an eye out for him, but more than likely he'll perish in the wilderness without allies. The Western Heartlands can be a very dangerous place for the unwary. Maybe a dragon will eat him. Now, wouldn't that be justice.
"So, this empire uses mainly artifice of fire and lightning as their weaponry. That's very useful to know. If magical protections will prevents such devastation as that construct's destruction did, I will see to it that all possible resources are gathered together. Once the situation is explained to the populace, it might be possible to gather potions for my soldiers, at the very least. As for protecting the buildings, the High Artificer may have ideas. And I'm certain you do as well."
Many of the injured who can overhear begin to listen to the conversation between their Grand Duke and the half-dragon. Most have no idea of what to make of the strange conversation, but a few others come to realize what has happened and what is going to happen.
"Lord Eltan, how will we live through this?" A young woman asks as she carries her daughter to the temple. The child's leg was broken by one of the ice chunks from the storm.
"We will endure, citizens, as we always have," Eltan raises his voice for all to hear.
"Do no give up hope. We have new allies with knowledge of what is to come. They have already proven themselves by chasing off the rogues who attacked the harbor."
Eltan leaves out the part about the hobgoblin and the half-orc being with the invaders.
Originally Posted by Salthorae
"That is both true and false. As I stated, the law of Active Morality governs the Empire. So, yes, while the Emperor is a wicked Red Wyrm, even under the first Gold Emperor drow and other unsavory characters were tolerated and allowed to freely live. Mezzenbone has elevated the drow and their place in the empire in the last forty years by creating a special division of the Imperial Police called the ISPD, populated almost entirely by Drow. They are his special enforcers of imperial law, more like a private army than anything, it was that act among many that caused me to resign my commission with the Imperial Legions, otherwise I may have helped lead the assault on this planet myself, rather than being here to warn you and try to help you prepare and fight."
"So, he uses drow as enforcers," Eltan sighs.
"For a red dragon, that doesn't surprise me. It sounds like this Mezzenbone is altering your empire's society in ways that makes him less a ruler and more a god. It might be best to replace him with another Dragon Emperor. A beast with more, if you'll excuse the expression, humanity.
"And I am glad to have you as an ally instead of as an enemy. Although I doubt one disgruntled half-dragon will be enough to save Toril from your emperor's wrath, even with all these others to help. But, we must try," Eltan says to Shaz in a whisper.
The temple of Gond comes into view and the priests of the temple are already gathered on its steps to help the wounded. The worst are taken inside to sacrd rooms that boost healing powers. The rest of the temple is soon filled with the injured. Rodan shows the Gondite clergy how to do advanced triage and the brightest and youngest of them take to the skill quickly. The old guard seem resistant. The heroes help where they can but most of the time they stay within earshot of the Grand Duke and Shaz.
Originally Posted by Salthorae
With another sigh, Shazer'a continues, "fighting the legions is a two edged sword. If we can put up enough of a defense and allow the houses of Qesemet to know of our plight sufficiently, they may be able to officially send succor and lift the assault, which would allow your planet to more peacefully join the Empire. Life as you know it will be different, there is no denying or stopping that now, but you may have a chance. If the Emperor is truly determined to harvest the resources of this planet and you show stiff resistance, he may well send sufficient force to scour all sentient life from this planet, just to get at the magic and minerals. i and my wesham will do what we can here and I will try to get word to my sire and from him to the Grand Duke about the status on the ground. The hobgoblin is an official Royal agent and may well have access to other resources as well. On my honor as a scion of House Golion and a retired Lord General of the Imperial Legions, I cannot allow any harm to or torture of the hobgoblin as he is a lawful representative of the Empire. Allow me and my wesham to care for him and present him to you for questioning. Call that the price of my aid if you will."
"So, these Qesemet are good-hearted dragons while the Asemet are dragons that believe in evil? All the colors divided between good and evil, law and chaos. For if these Qesemet dragonlords are protectors of good and law, they must act accordingly and use your society's moral code to stop this invasion. But what if they do nothing? What if your faith in them is misplaced? What if they say, 'well, it's just one more world'. What do we do then? Are there powers amongst the stars to rival your empire? Other stellar forces that could stand against it? No empire can exist in a vacuum of opposition?
"It sounds to me like Toril has no choice in what is to come. Even you are telling me that it would be best to follow your laws in my city," Eltan says in frustration. "Your empire does not rule here yet, offworlder. You cannot simply tell me and the other Grand Dukes that we cannot bring the hobgoblin to justice for what has transpired today. As long as he is truthful and contrite, he will not be harmed during questioning. However, I cannot promise that he won't be sentenced to death for these crimes. Even if he wasn't aware that the conflagration was going to erupt, he still came into Baldur's Gate with knowledge of malice.
"You can act as his barrister if you wish, but justice, justice as Baldur's Gate defines it and not your empire will be done! Good soldiers died on those docks! I cannot simply let him walk away if he cannot provide a reasonable defense for those actions! For you to ask me otherwise is unreasonable! I know of no ruler on this world who would let one of my subjects enter his or her domain and commit horrible crimes and then let that person go! No, no, if you must try to subvert our rule of law then there is no hope for a lasting peace between this world and your empire!"
Grand Duke Eltan's voice becomes louder as he speaks. The enhanced acoustics of the temple of Gond causes his voice to echo throughout the entire building. Everyone hears the man's tirade and the temple grows silent except for one weak voice.
"I, Tocrhor of Cesmion. accept your rule of law over me, Outlander," the hobgoblin speaks from a corner of the temple.
"To do otherwise would to be against the empire's law of Active Morality. If you must seek justice for your people, I will submit myself to it, as long as it is lawful justice that allows me a chance to explain my actions and why I am here."
"It will be lawful but may be unyielding, hobgoblin."
"I understand. And do not judge the half-dragon too harshly, great sir. His heart is in the right place even if he might have overstepped his rights on your world. It is hard for us imperials to not think of our empire as the center of the universe," Tocrhor says before falling into a coughing fit.
"I, I am still weak. Will you allow me to rest before you pass judgment?"
"I will. I promise."
"Thank you," he says.
"And I promise to tell you all that I know of Zugorim and his crew and even help you make a case against them. Did you capture him, half-dragon? Please tell me you did? He must not be allowed to escape? He is wanted on a dozen worlds for his crimes."
