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Message: <blockquote data-quote="spyscribe" data-source="post: 1049565" data-attributes="member: 5808">Part the Very FifteenthIn which: some loose ends are tied up and others become plot hooks.(as recorded by Fajitas)    Anvil and Reyu tend to the wounds of their friends.  Anvil expends a cure minor wounds to stabilize Missola, after having him bound and arrested.  Missola and Desalle are both taken away by watchmen.    Over the next few days, the scouring of the Missola compound turns up little further evidence of wrong-doing, but the leather-bound book found in the chest provides everything that they need.  It is Missola’s ledger and details every scheme that he was involved in.  As it turns out, very few of his enterprises are fully legitimate.  In addition to selling Blackroot Distillate, his business largely consists of importing goods from outside the Confederacy, but smuggling them into Dar Pykos as Confederate goods, thereby paying lower import taxes.  Inferior goods from the city-state of Sirrus (Thatch’s home area) are being brought in and sold as goods from the esteemed craftsmen of Dar Karo.  Incredibly rare spices from the Empire of Ebis are being brought in as spices from Dar Henna.The records also clearly indicate the income from five innocent people Missola had convicted and sold as slaves. Roughly 10% of the profits from their sales are paid out to “trial expenses;” these figures are nearly equal to what Anvil found in Stalwart’s cell.  In addition, 1% of both the slave sales and Blackroot sales have been paid out as “finder’s fees” to an unknown individual, presumably the scarred man.Efforts are made to locate the scarred man.  A watch is set at The Fortunate Traveler, but there is no sign of him.  Subtle inquiries among informants on the street likewise turn up no trace.  As near as anyone can tell, the mysterious man has completely disappeared.Fortunately, his presence is not required.  The combination of the ledger, the note Reyu obtained, the Bartender’s testimony, and the Justicars’ not-so-gentle interrogations of Desalle and Misolla are more than enough to condemn the two Aegosians for multiple crimes, and enough to clear Thatch and Reyu of all chargesAnvil has the pleasure of sharing the good news with them.  “You are free to go,” he informs them.  “Welcome to Dar Pykos.  May Kettenek’s Justice be with you.”“Um. Okay.  I guess that’s that,” Thatch says.“Indeed,” Reyu says.And, with that, Thatch and Reyu are finally free to settle in Dar Pykos.Their first concern is lodgings.  As it turns out, Mrs. Blackburn’s boarding house, where Amos had been living, now has a few openings.  It seems that Amos’s brief experiences in Dar Pykos were quite enough of city life for him.  Thatch takes his room.  He finds the accommodations quite good.  Mrs. Blackburn’s cooking is excellent, though her busy-bodying is a little tiresome.  It also does not take long for her sixteen-year-old daughter, Tessa, to develop quite a crush on young Thatch.  He finds this somewhat embarrassing, although she’s too shy to do much more than glance at him over breakfast or look away red-faced whenever she notices him looking at her.  He also finds it very strange to be addressed as “Mr. Thatch”.Reyu also takes a room at the boarding house, rather than staying with the elven community in Dar Pykos.  She feels that living among humans, though it may be distasteful, is probably more useful to her mission to learn about human society.  Besides, she fears that the elven community will be much like the three assimilated elves she met at The Fortunate Traveler.  It turns out, however, that there are more traditional elves in Dar Pykos, with whom she gradually makes contact.Cyrus returns to his chapterhouse, while Hue vanishes off to wherever he stays in Dar Pykos.  He tells them that if they need him, they should ask for him at the Great Library (he does not mention that he sleeps on a shelf in the basement there.  At least, he does when the Librarians don’t catch him).  And Anvil the Just returns to the Temple of Justice, to continue his duties, quite confident that this case will not go unnoticed by those higher up in the Temple.How right he is.A few days later, Anvil is summoned by Tenacious the Just, the 6th Order Justicar who heads the Universal Law Caucus in Dar Pykos.  Anvil is admitted to Tenacious’s study.  The desk is strewn with parchment.  Tenacious himself, though a large man, seems barely able to keep his head above it.  He looks up as Anvil enters.  “Anvil,” he says without emotion, “please have a seat.”  Anvil does so.  Tenacious regards him a moment.  “Well, your handling of the Missola situation seems to have… come to a noisy conclusion.”“No noisier than Justice demanded,” Anvil points out.“You caused quite a stir,” Tenacious says.Anvil thinks for a moment, trying to phrase the proper response in what is clearly a difficult position.  But, before he can open his mouth, Tenacious smiles.  “Anvil, relax,” he says.  “You’re not being reprimanded.  In fact, you’re being promoted.”  From behind a stack of parchments, Tenacious pulls out a 2nd Order sash and tosses it to Anvil.  “You’ve done excellent work for the Temple.  And, more pertinently, for the Caucus.”Anvil covers his pleasure with his usual dogmatic approach.  “I only did as Justice--” he begins.Tenacious cuts him off with “Uh-huh.”  Tenacious regards him for a moment longer, then says, “Anvil, these people you worked with.  Do you trust them?” “They seem to be of good character,” he says.  He takes a moment to consider if Hue fits in this category, but decides that yes, even Hue seems to be of good character.“And they’re capable?”“They have proven themselves so.”Tenacious strokes his beard.  “Do you think they would be interested in doing some… further work for us?”Now Anvil’s curiosity is truly piqued.  “Of what nature would this work be?”Tenacious searches carefully for the words.  “It occurred to me that the Caucus could use a… well, a troubleshooting team.  For special cases, like this, where some form of action outside the usual range of Justicar activities is called for.  You and your companions have proven yourselves fairly adequate to the task, so I thought you’d be a perfect place to start.  What do you think?”“For myself, I am happy to serve Kettenek in this manner.  I cannot speak for the others, but I can inquire.  They are reasonable people.  I’m sure they will see the wisdom of furthering Kettenek’s will,” Anvil says.  Tenacious sighs and rubs his temples.  Anvil continues.  “Are there specific tasks you have in mind for them?  It may help to convince them if I can provide further details.”Now, Tenacious smiles.  “Well, as I said, you caused quite a stir with this Missola case.  There’s been a lot of talk—a lot of outrage over this abuse of the Slave Ownership Ruling.  And that has been very good for the Caucus.  We’ve always been opposed to the Slave Ruling, and right now a lot of other people are coming around to our side.  A lot of highly influential people.  The Caucus is actually starting to get some attention.“We want to levy this attention while we’ve got it.  By our records, Missola sold five innocent Pykosian citizens into slavery in Dar Aego.  We want to be the ones to bring them home.  And we thought you and your companions would be the perfect people to do it.”Anvil smiles.  “I think, perhaps, they can be persuaded to aid in this endeavor.”Two days later, the party is on the road to Dar Aego.    to be continued…</blockquote>

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