Emergence Game Thread

Rawena just sort of looks at you quizzically.

"I'm still not sure how you want me respond. That sounds like a reasonable plan. A more thorough inspection of the lair of an associate might provide you with some leads."

She stops to think for a moment. "Tell me, what are the locations you're considering for trying to find the next piece of the Horn? Maybe I can help you narrow down your list?"

The conversation spins in circles for a little bit, Rhiv trying to get Rawena's assistance while not giving away any more than he has to, and Rawena trying to get enough information to be of actual assistance. After some hemming and hawing, Rawena is finally able to help the group narrow down the best place to look for shards of the Horn of Dorothir to two locations: Noonik in Yuhroone or Welkinburg-Lowerton in Findor. What the you all decide to do with that information is up to you.

After some bathing and a short but deeply restful night's sleep, the party are awakened by a guard, informing you that breakfast will be served in half an hour. You spend the time grooming and discussing a plan for how to approach the coming conversation. Then the door to your room opens and you are led to the private dining room by four guards.

The dining room, like the rest of King Alexander's residence, reflects the king himself. The decor is not garish, but everything is of the highest quality and purposeful. Therrien, you'd swear the long table with its exquisite inlay of two lions was carved by a master elven woodworker. And the food. By gods, the food. Before you even get to the dining room, the smell of fresh baked bread has your stomachs churning. The table is lined with cheeses, fresh fruit, smoked meats. As you sit, you're each given crystal glass filled with some fragrant pink fruit juice and a sturdy mug that is then filled with steaming hot tea.

You all sit for several minutes in silence, sipping your drinks and enjoying the smells of the food and the dust particles dancing in the shafts of light coming through the long windows near the ceiling. Suddenly, the doors to the dining room burst open, and King Alexander storms into the room, followed by four people you've not seen before, then the guard captain that entered Wellington's manor the previous night who shuts the doors behind the small envoy.

King Alexander is clearly quite unhappy, and it seems to be directed at the four of you, but he maintains his decorum. The four people who accompanied the king take seats at the table and receive their beverages as Alexander stands behind his chair at the center of the table. He motions to the servants to begin, and with coordinated military precision, a plate containing steaming soft scrambled eggs with herbs, crisp smoky bacon, and crunchy, fluffy fried potatoes is place in front of each of you simultaneously. The servants leave the room and close the doors behind them.

By this point, those of you who are looking for such things can see that Alexander can barely contain himself. He is chewing on the inside of his cheek, and stroking his beard, and he begins pacing. Finally, with everyone still waiting on the king to sit down in order to begin eating, he speaks. "Honestly, what in the five hells were the lot of you thinking? Or weren't you? Did you decide this, a time when a tenuous secret confederacy between a king and a rag-tag group of adventurers is the best hope of preventing a global apocalypse, This was a good time to stop considering the ramifications of your actions? Did you decide that now, just HOURS after we toasted to our hope that our trust could grow from the smallest seeds, to instead dash those hopes to the ground?" He looks at each of you, "and before you come sit at my table and eat my food while lying to my face, I know you trespassed and tried to kill Duke Wellington."

Alexander stops pacing, puts his hands on the back of his chair, and hangs his head. He sighs deeply. He lifts his head back up, closes his eyes, and begins praying, "Gods of light and life, gods of sustenance, of the earth and the sea and the sky, we give you thanks for the bounty you've tabled for us this day." He plops down in his chair, seemingly exhausted, and takes a long draft of his mug, finishing its contents in one go. He opens his arms wide, gesturing to the table.

"Eat. Enjoy."

Though I had hoped against hope that the incident from last night would fade into memory as the King chose to overlook our trangression, I knew it was unlikely. To'ot's confession is more surprising, but not completely unexpected either. To'ot, like the rest of us, obviously has a colored past that he is seeking to grapple with. As it is written, "There is no one truly good except the Adonai" but To'ot, maybe more clearly than the rest of us, seems to actually have a heart that clearly yearns for righteousness. He struggles to control his baser urges, but the goodness is strong.

Knowledge and demonstration of the Adonai's power and goodness was thrust upon me despite my weakness; the importance of fighting the darkness arose slowly from His teachings. Harper struggles with elevating revenge and pleasure as his gods. He has his own sense of 'honor' and is definitely not evil but his decision making is usually self-centric. Therrien also seems to be driven more by revenge than by a desire to preserve or uphold anything in particular, and seems to still doubt who truly was to blame for the atrocity he witnessed. As the King hesitates and is seemingly weighing To'ot under his steely gaze, I step forward slightly remaining behind To'ot, and bow slightly.

"M'Lord, I want to merely add that--as his voucher under the Church of Adonai into the upper ward--the punishment should also fall on me. To'ot is a good man who is slowly learning to control the power he speaks of that was thrust suddenly upon him while defending us from Thalnoth. Three of us stand alive today because of this man and that power and I believe we will need his strength to defeat him for good. What To'ot did not mention--but you may already know--was that the incident last night did not end with the Duke's escape but with an intentional choice to pull back and let him survive to avoid endangering other more innocent lives."

The King listens intently to To'ot's words. When To'ot, out of decorum, moves from his chair the guard captain puts his hand on the hilt of his sword and Alexander lifts his hand to instruct the captain to stand down. Rhiv takes his turn, and King Alexander continues listening. You can tell that he is open to hearing your messages. When each of you is finished and returned to your seats, he swallows the bit of food in his mouth and washes it down with some of the dark brew before addressing the party of adventurers.

"Despite the circumstances, you seem to have earned at least a small bit of my trust because I have no doubt that there was no intention on your part to, shall we say understatedly, make things more difficult. But, To'ot, as you put it, intentions are of little importance." The king puts his napkin on the table and stands behind his chair, resting his hands on the chair back. "As even those of you not native to East Blackwall likely know by now, I have spent my entire reign trying to create justice in a nation that at times seems preternaturally bent against it. In any other circumstance, my decision would be easy. The four of you broke the law; many laws, in fact, and several of which are capital crimes. You would be thrown in jail immediately. Tomorrow there would be a short hearing where the evidence against you was presented. You'd be declared guilty, because, you in fact are guilty. And tomorrow night you'd be executed. All of this would be right and good. It would be just, yes?"

As he is speaking, you can see in the lines on his face how this issue is weighing on him.

"Yet, here we sit at breakfast, you my guests, because the circumstances dictate that the four of you be exempt from the punishment you deserve... that I exempt you from the course of justice. Fates more powerful than I have placed the future of our existence in your hands, so I cannot allow justice to be carried out. Furthermore, because I see no other way forward, I am choosing to assist you in escaping the path of justice. You will not face the executioner this day or the next." Alexander hangs his head in shame. "May the gods forgive me for my hypocrisy."

Looking back at the table, he continues as he begins pacing again, almost as a lecturer in a university hall, gesturing as he talks. "And, if we were only considering the distress of my soul in undermining the core of my rule and my beliefs, that would be enough. But, in neglecting to consider the context of your actions, you've also handed a great deal of power to Wellington. He is not a significant adversary of mine... yet. But I calculate a great deal of my work to undermine his influence because he has the potential to be a significant rival and he espouses values that are contrary to many of my own. Now there will be no way to prevent these circumstances from giving him sway among other nobles, men and women who might otherwise oppose him. I fear by not handing the four of you over to him, or, at the very least, giving him the satisfaction of seeing you punished for your crimes, we will set in motion events that will see him lead an alliance of powerful people down a path that none with a pure heart would want to follow. It would have been better if you had killed him."

The King delivers the last line without pausing or missing a beat. You can see that Alexander doesn't wish the Lord dead. He is simply stating a matter of fact. Killing him now could trigger an uprising, possibly even leading to civil war. But, outside of making an example of the four of you, there doesn't seem to be a way to avoid the consequences of last night's attack, namely, giving Lord Wellington more power.

"To throw one more bucket of slop on the whole mess, what am I to do with Fosgrous and the officials of the Church of Adonai who sponsored you? I can help you lot avoid some consequences—not all, but some—but they live here. They are going to wear your crimes. This is as it should be. I only hope that you do not fail us in your task so that their pain might prove worth bearing, even if they never know how or why it is so." Alexander returns to his chair and begins stroking his beard in thought, oblivious to the fact that there is still food on his plate.

Hypocrite......I still do not know what to make of this man. The epithet is generally reserved for those who assume the appearance of virtue or piety, without possessing the reality. He speaks reverently of many gods, including the One True God, but has he, like a stage-player, consistently feigned to be what he is not for so many years? Or was the coup against his brother a momentary lapse for which he is continually paying penance in his heart and trying to redeem by filling his stolen seat justly?

"M'Lord, you obviously have a sound understanding of the political dynamics of your realm, but may I ask two simple questions? First, To'ot sent a clear message via his personal guard to Wellington that if would literally fly into his bedroom as an unnoticed flea and kill him in his sleep if he sought to do him further damage by speaking of what happened. Apart from the justice of that threat, the threat was made. Did he speak to your guard of the truth of what happened or were you sure of the truth simply by the lack of any other alternatives? Is he the type of man to adjust course for true fear of his life or would he trust in your sense of justice to defend him?

Secondly, will he truly be able use the unbelievable story that a man turned into a bear and killed two of his guards to impugn your name? The facts are, even to my witnessing eye, pretty outrageous. The Adonai calls His followers to speak truth but also to walk with cunning when dealing with the wolves of the world. What would happen if a true bear publicly bore our blood-guilt and we served our own potential death sentence of carrying out whatever our plan will be in fighting Thalnoth? Would the world believe Wellington when presented with a far more realistic--though still odd--explanation? As To'ot mentioned, the consequences of our actions will still rest on he and I regardless of success or failure.

If my plan is not satisfactory, and a sacrifice must be made I have an alternative. I again ask for your forgiveness for these three men and for Fosgrous: Harper because he stayed his hand during the combat, Therrien because his only actions were done to defend To'ot when Wellington's guards struck first, and To'ot because I wish to take his place. I am guilty of many things but in this incident I am only guilty of not getting there sooner. I did not raise my hand in violence toward Wellington or his guards and sought only end the encounter without loss of life. The surviving guards will attest to this."

King Alexander takes in your response and contemplates, stroking his beard, for a few moments before responding. "You are clever, Daardenrian. I sincerely hope that once all this is over that you consider allowing me to hone you into a highly capable politician... assuming any of us survives, of course," he says perfectly seriously. "Let me address your thoughts before I present my own."

"First, I have little doubt that Wellington is will be on his way to the magistrate within the hour to file charges against the four of you as soon as the courts open. He is not the kind of man to be intimidated. Your threat did not alter his course as he did indeed tell my captain the events that took place. I also know that he told the truth because I had you followed in secret aside from the guards who were—ahem—accompanying you. Because of this, I have verification of your account as well; Mister Harper abstained from engaging the conflict at all, and you, Rhiv, attempted and seemingly eventually succeeded at quelling the fight. Unfortunately, not much of that truly matters." He pauses and goes to take another drink of his brew, realizes it is empty, then hands it to the guard captain who moves to a small buffet table against the wall to refill it.

"Once Wellington instigates the charges, the wheels of the justice system will begin rapidly turning. Regardless of the plausibility of his account, or whether or not his version leaves out certain details, because he is a resident of the Ehre ward it will be treated with utmost sincerity and importance by the magistrates office who will immediately begin an investigation. The four of you would shortly be arrested and held while the charge is being considered to prevent your flight."

"And what would the investigation reveal? Not simply the bizarre occurrence of a bear attack. Wellington's private guards, along with the physical evidence of at least one guard killed by sword and the broken windows from the illegal entry, would corroborate the lord's account. This would be more than enough for a conviction."

The captain returns with a steaming cup of black liquid for King Alexander, who handles it delicately and takes a small sip. "Normally, trespassing alone does not carry an execution. But I suspect that Lord Wellington will file for Attempted Murder and Collaborating to Commit Murder. With his connections, the investigation would be short—several hours at most—and you would be sentenced by day's end."

"Since I'm not going to let that happen, the answer to your second question is a resounding 'yes.' The King," Alexander gestures to himself, "who has accrued decades of political equity by being firmly on the side of justice will prevent justice from being administered. That equity will not dissolve overnight, but my reputation will be damaged, and I will have no recourse as I cannot reveal why you lot were spared."

"What, then, are we to do? I give small thanks for your offer to take the brunt of the consequences, Rhiv, for the only solution I can envision is not pleasant and it will fall hardest on you, dragonborn." Alexander takes a deep breath and exhales slowly through pursed lips. "The four of you will be exiled."

Pausing for a moment, I add with a wry smile: "and a warhorse and some more rope."

The king looks around the table, reading the reactions written across each of your faces at his pronouncement. He is stoic, but not apologetic. He seems to have a great deal of sympathy for the four of you, while not forgetting that the current predicament is a result of your actions.

King Alexander cocks his head to the side a bit and furrows his brow at Rhiv's response. "My apologies, I must not have been clear, as you seem to be under the impression that you have some say in this matter. It has been decided. Although I am pleased that you find it acceptable. And as for the warhorse and rope, I am not sure how you could 'accept' those when they were not offered. Of course, I do not plan to send you on your way empty-handed."

Turning back to address the whole party, he continues. "I do, however, want your input on how this banishment will take place. There are two options for delivering you outside of the borders of East Blackwall, each with advantages and disadvantages depending on where you plan to continue your mission. First, I can have you escorted to the permaport. From there you can teleport to a handful of locations around the world. I am confident that we can accomplish this within the hour and without leaving much—if any—trail for an enemy to follow. The downside is that the destination locations are limited. And, before you ask, I can not list for you all the destinations. You must declare where you would like to go, and I will tell you how close you can get."

"Second, we can smuggle you into dwarven territory under the mountains not too far from where we are. The advantage to this is that you would not have to travel far, and the dwarves might have different insight into either your opponent or the object you seek than we have been able to provide. But, political tension has been rising between us and the dwarves recently, so they might be a bit more... let's say "defensive" than even they are normally inclined to be. If, however, you can gain their trust and/or their assistance, you would be able to travel quite a distance through their territory before having to surface. Again, it all depends on where you are heading."

The king folds his hands and places them on the table in front of him, awaiting an answer.

So much for that attempt to get a smile. That one went down like an anvil. The King had managed to win me over with his balanced calm and his continual, and seemingly heartfelt, references to justice, but he is not the Lord. He is not a man of mercy. "M'lord, In terms of the request for a rope, forgive my small hint at levity. I lost a prized warhorse following our battle with one of our enemy's minions, and I have been moaning his loss to my companions ever since. And one always needs more rope. In terms of acceptance, it may do little to change the outcome but one always has a choice of whether to accept one's circumstances. I watch the King--and his companion's--countenances carefully. I know none of these people but they must be in the King's confidence to attend such a secretive matter. In terms of where we should go, I will let my companions speak their piece, but as we discussed last night I think more information would be helpful to all of us before a plan is made. I have some logistical questions: Can the Dwarven kingdoms be accessed or exited without entering back into East Blackwall? As you may already know, Thalnoth has a strong connection with at least one dwarf wizard who seems to operate out of a hidden dwarf stronghold near the pass outside of Redwall. Before we we were unceremoniously teleported into the city we discovered papers referencing Thalnoth and his search for the parts of the artifact. Do you know of this place?

The king's cheeks turn a bit red. "Hm, yes... humor." He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it again, before finally responding. "It might surprise you to discover that I am not known for having an exceptional sense of humor."

He continues, "I think I know the place you mean. There's a dwarf wizard who lives in a kind of tower up there. My information on the wizard is foggy, but, I do feel confident that he or she operates in isolation, or, at least, not in connection with the dwarven kingdom. Regardless, heading up the mountain would be moving away from the dwarves. King Alexander strokes his beard again, "If you'd like, I can commit to investigating the stronghold and pass along whatever information we find." Then after another few moments, "Do you still have any of the papers you found, or remember what was on them?"