DCC DotSK: Act 1-3

Dufgal was just waiting to return to the unpredictable leadership of Aldric, who was always brushing against the mysterium tremendum.

He leaps to the task and winds their way back to the church.

Ty stands placidly beside Anora the Blue, doing his best to appear as if he can't see the three thegns bristling with weapons behind Beacom. They haven't spoken, after all; the blind beggar that he pretends to be-- sometimes, and poorly-- would not know that they are there, apart from the occasional creak of leather or jingle of mail.

"That is precisely what we are saying, reverend father. Much as it pains me to speak it," Tyravasiel-Llir declares, not sounding especially pained. "We suspect that the Jarl has been using this scheme to protect his allies and to doom any who have crossed him. We know not who among the thegns are privy to the plot; perhaps not many, or even none. Surely no brave man who loves his homeland would stand for such a violation of his neighbors and kin."

As he speaks, Ty watches the thegns assembled in the church for their reactions.

As Ty lifts his voice to address the priest, Dufgal hears it and turns to look over his shoulder at Aldric. His grin is childish as if the timing of sneaking out of church worked and they just got back before trouble had found them.

Then he gives up the crouching stance and stands tall, walking proudly into the public square and toward the entrance of the church where he can now see his crewmates.

Anora meets the gaze of each broad man that stands behind the priest. They would surely cut her down, if given half the chance. The woman had certainly encouraged that desire in them since her first arrival.

Still, she trusts her magic, and that she could bring them all low before they could close the gap! Hirot’s finest would cut the throats and bash the brains of sleeping or bound men right here on the church floor.

"The Jarl, and his pet magician." Anora adds, ensuring that Sylle Ru couldn’t slither out of this trap. The man had scoffed at the blue wizardess at their first meeting, and so she was committed to his deserved end!

IN THE CHURCH (ANORA & TY, ALDRIC & DUFGAL ARRIVING)

Beacom's eyes narrow as Ty backs and reinforces Anora's claim, and Ofenloch can be heard to growl, "I knew it!"

Anora speaks up again then, naming Sylle Ru as well as an actor in this dreadful play.

"Now that I believe! This cannot stand. The Radiant Arbiter will see justice meted for this outrage!" the priest bellows, shocking and drawing reactions from everyone present, especially the thegns and Hirot's villagers.

Morgan, feeling vindicated and empowered, lifts her chin and throws her shoulders back defiantly as she steps forward. The motion parts the girl's cloak and draws the ashamed eyes of the acolyte nearest her to her swelling chest as she draws a deep breath of air... but it is the fierce expression on her face that everyone else sees. When she speaks, her voice fairly booms.

"There is only one thing that will see justice done here, Father Beacom, and we all know what it is!"

By now Aldric and Dufgal are at the back of the throng of villagers who are pressing into the church, and they are hearing the conversation clearly. Anora and Ty do not know they have joined the mob.

Looking troubled as there are cries for blood following Morgan's declaration, Haedrick tries to calm the crowd with a raised hand. "Hold! Hold, everyone!"

Tempers and ire are not quelled by the man's efforts, so he raises his voice further to be heard. Behind him, veins throb in Kreig's temple and neck. His glower has only intensified and he grips his axe tightly.

"What proof! What proof is there?" Haedrick asks. "Anora the Blue, Ty the Blind Beggar -- how came you to know this? How may we know it for true as well?"

Dufgal, upon hearing that the thegns need further convincing, runs to the strongbox to grab the smaller box within that was used for the ruse.

Aldric tries to keep up with Dufgal, but it is a struggle, what with the thickness of the air around his legs and the moistness of his skin. He sees Dufgal racing over to the ruins of the strongbox to gather the evidence, and winces.

"Um, Dufgal, you really shouldn't touch ... !?"

But he is too far behind to warn him what had happened to the box. Maybe ignorance was bliss?

However, the trusty thief's sanitary sacrifice will all be for naught if he cannot return in time. With his great, loud preacher's voice, Aldric calls to those in the church. "Make way for Dufgal, Chosen of Pelagia, to bring forth indisputable evidence of these deeds most foul!"

"We braved opening the box! For that, we had to draw away the Jarl’s men! Brave and strong they are! For that misdeed, my group and I can only ask forgiveness!

We couldn’t face them in arms. Nor did we want to! We knew they would be as incensed as we, when they heard the truth. And so we drew them away!" Anora says, trying to weave mundane words in a way that might butter up the Jarl’s warriors.

"Once we uncovered the trick, we showed the mechanism to the gathered folk of Hirot. Every person here will swear to what they saw!"

IN THE CHURCH (ANORA, TY & ALDRIC)

Several voices are raised to support Anora, none louder than Morgan’s.

"I— I saw it! A smaller box, a wooden tray with raised sides — constructed to allow the easy picking of a single piece of parchment from the center of the larger strongbox!"

Dolsten nods and further supports the story.

"I saw it too," the man adds. "Means to place one name in harm’s way… and then pick that name without anyone knowing the draw was not chance!"

It is then that Aldric announces his presence, and that Dufgal will bring forth proof!

AT THE REMAINS OF THE BOX IN THE MARKET SQUARE (DUFGAL)

Charred, peed-upon scraps of wood are scattered here and there across the platform where the lottery had been held, Dufgal sees as he runs up. Several of Pelagia’s converts have armed themselves with the largest pieces, and other angry townsfolk still prowl here and there, but Broegan Haverson still has command of the space, keeping some people from being destructive to no useful end, while sending others to bolster the mob now pounding on the great house doors above the town.

"Dufgal!" the owner of the Wolf-Spear says. "I see the church’s doors open! What goes on inside?!"

The big thief, startled by Broegan using his name, stutters in response,
"I… I’se… uh, not sure if I’se… well, uh, the Lady Anora has things under control."
As Dufgal gathers his wits, he takes his turn asking questions,
"Has you’se seen the small box that was right ‘ere inside this smashed bigun?"

"I’se guessin’ that priest is gonna need proof, so good thinking you. I’se gonna run it to her now."
Dufgal does grab the small box and runs surprisingly swiftly through the crowd and up to the front of the church. He holds the box aloft.
"Lady! Miss Anora Blue! ‘Ere’s that box they was using to trick the people."

Anora stands a few inches taller as dutiful Dufgal presents the box at the most opportune moment. How must it seem to the Hirotians? To have Anora orchestrating such a convincing show in their defense…

She motions for the man to present the box to the priest for inspection. Then she gathers herself up, like some blue queen of the browbeaten!

Dufgal makes his way carefully through the thegns that stand in between him and the priest. He presents the box without a word as a way to emphasize Anora’s.

IN THE CHURCH (ALL)

As Anora swells with purpose, and as Dufgal comes forward bearing the proof Haedrick seeks, the crowd falls to pointing and murmuring.

"That’s it!" someone says.

"Yes, I saw it," says another villager. "And in that box, a single slip! One the Jarl could find with his eyes closed!"

Confronted with this uncomfortable truth, one-eyed Ofenloch bares his teeth and shakes his head, furious at the deception. Haedrick only nods grimly, while Beacom’s expression is harder to read — for a moment.

Then the bald, elaborately robed man nods.

"I see. He has deceived us all along, since the very start of this lottery."

Then, suddenly, the man’s face goes red and he is spitting as he goes on — now shouting.

"This farce! Sylle Ru has poisoned his mind with his dark utterances. Jarl Griegor would never stoop to such treachery! The wizard must be brought to justice! He will burn this night — Justicia demands it!"

Dufgal senses the tensions rise in the room. Just as soon as he hands over the box, he moves to Anora’s side. He puts his hands under his cloak and fingers his garrote.

Uncomfortably, Tyravasiel-Llir clears his throat.

"Holy father, if I may..." the elf interjects. He stoops a little, as if embarrassed to speak before such a dignitary as Justicia's high priest.

"The beast remains at large, and night will come soon. The wise heads among us will need time to craft a new plan to preserve this--" do not say flyspeck-- "this village. Burning is all very well, but would it not also be justice--" Ty raises his voice, the better to be heard back in the throng-- "would it not be poetic justice, in fact, if whoever played a part in this terrible cheat--" Ty absolves no one yet, particularly the brooding and silent Kreig-- "could be sent to the sacrificial stones, in order to buy us that time?"

Beacom, Ofenloch and Haedrick seem to be on their side. How will Kreig react to this suggestion?

Cheers are raised when Ty voices that which everyone has been thinking. True justice being to feed Ru and the Jarl to the Hound as they had fed so many others. Haedrick is about to reply when Kreig steps forward, that massive axe still menacing.

"Yes," he growls.

"We start with the seer. He goes to the stones tonight!"

The priest nods slowly. "These crimes must be answered for. The innocents must be avenged. The scales have tipped!"

Then, from the back, Dolsten speaks up, misliking the attention it brings, but unwilling to stay quiet. "They are holed up now, in the great hall. Those doors are as though from a fortress. How will you pull Sylle Ru from that place?"