A solemn quiet had overtaken the city square. Civilians, soldiers, and undead littered the roads, their features hidden by fog. Some who yet lived trembled in the cold as knights bounded from one end of the fountain to another while searching for survivors, surveyed by the sunken gaze of Alistair and Furainé.
“...It really was quite a splendid escape, you know?” The woman spoke freely in the presence of her king, as if unperturbed by the consequences of insubordination, “I would never have thought to use the sewers, but it makes perfect sense. There’s an entire labyrinth of decades-old, unpatrolled passages running beneath our fair city.”
“I never expected her to arrive without a plan in mind.” Alistair replied.
“Of course not. But a king can’t rain bolts upon his own people without at least the slightest hope that he’ll kill an enemy or two along the way.” She continued, “This girl was merely a pawn of hers. A small player in an awfully big game. Margoh Drayya and Marché Hopper - those two are her lieutenants. But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
“Turn your attention to more pressing matters. Helmach - that fool of a man - is already dead. I knew him to be oft consumed by hatred, but to rush headfirst into enemy ranks… it’s almost as if he wanted to die.” Alistair frowned, causing his wrinkles to straighten out, “You failed to instil in him the sacred purpose of the Scions, and now the Mercuria has attained knowledge far exceeding our current expectations.”
“The Mercuria…” Furainé suppressed something akin to a scoff, “The remnants of the faith are beginning to influence your understanding of the truth. The Church’s alchemists may have approached the threshold of enlightenment many centuries ago, but it is the Sages who unravelled the whims of the Gods.”
“Is it my faith which shines too brightly, or yours which has been extinguished by knowledge of that which is most forbidden?” He asked, “The Mercuria poses a threat to this kingdom, but you will not strike her down? Do not take me for a fool. I know well the intentions hidden beneath your veil. Perhaps it is not my place to say, but one must be careful when playing with fire, for flames are wont to betray their master at the drop of a pin.”
“Thank you for the warning.” Furainé smiled. A great and overbearing expression, “For now, I believe I will let this fire rage on. I am interested in witnessing the potential of this so-called ‘Mercuria’ now that she has broken free from the yoke of isolation.”
----------------------------------------
“Welcome.” Baccharum threw his hands aside in the dark as Lieze wandered into his office, “-Or, should it be the other way around? This is your territory now, after all.”
“You already knew?” Lieze tilted her head.
“Miss Lieze, in all the southern lands, there is but one place I am able to reside without threatening the loss of my vision.” He replied, “-If I did not make a point of ‘knowing’, then I would be trapped down here. ‘Knowing’ is very much my business, and unless my employees have been telling fibs this whole time, what I ‘know’ is that there has been quite the kerfuffle in the city square, with you at its metaphorical centre.”
Lieze felt refreshed every time she had the pleasure of speaking to Baccharum. Whether it was customary of his race or simply a facet of his complex personality, he had an aversion to wasting her time or mincing his words. With Lieze’s takeover of the eastern district, Baccharum and his thugs were completely at her mercy, and more importantly dependent on her support.
“You still have contacts in the city, I presume?” She asked, “I have more than enough gold to retain your services for the foreseeable future. You must understand that I no longer have the freedom of wandering Tonberg’s streets without being prosecuted, so I’ll be relying on your network to supply the cult.”
“As far as my men are concerned, if they can continue their business unmolested by priests or undead, and if you have the money to support that business, then they would be happy to assist you.” Baccharum replied, “Of course, I can’t assure you that they’ll be at all happy when the Order comes knocking and decides not to spare them - but that’s your problem, not mine.”
“I need metalworkers to repair the eastern portcullis. Possibly barricade it, too. I’ll also need some of your informants to communicate the Church’s movements to my cultists. It could be a matter of hours or days before our control of the district is contested, and once that happens, we’ll have escalated into a full-on war. I need to be prepared for when that happens.”
“Certainly. I’ll even provide a financier to manage your funds, if you so desire.” Baccharum offered, “Goodness… with all this sickness and crown-snatching going on, Tonberg isn’t quite the haven of peace it used to be.”
Lieze folded her arms, “Do you know anything about Alistair?”
“Besides what everyone else knows, you mean?” She couldn’t see the Elf’s movements in the darkness, but the creaking of his limbs spoke of some exasperated gesture, “He’s quite the tenured worshipper, as you can no doubt guess from his appearance. His betrayal of the throne did come as quite a shock, however. Why serve a lineage of kings and only betray one when you’re old and decrepit? It baffles me, honestly.”
“There’s something boiling beneath the surface of this strangeness.” She replied.
“Do you know what - I think so too.” Baccharum’s voice became serious, “The other thorn you’re warring with - that woman named Furainé - is a real mystery. It’s almost as if she popped into existence at precisely the same time you first started causing trouble in the city. Most of the informants I’ve sent to investigate her have conveniently gone missing.”
It wasn’t just Lieze who had a sinking feeling regarding Furainé. From the moment she decided to let Lieze off in broad daylight when she could have easily jeopardised the entire mission, Lieze had been wary of meeting her again. The news that not even Baccharum had been aware of her existence until recently only amplified the air of mystique surrounding her.
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“I’ve also heard that an associate of yours met her end on this terribly violent day.” Baccharum continued.
“For a necromancer, death is just a stepping stone on the path to enlightenment.” Lieze replied, “I would prefer to focus on what can be accomplished in her absence rather than dwelling on her death like some of my other comrades. Are you capable of doing what I’ve asked?”
“For as long as the gold flows, my men can accomplish just about anything.” He assured, “Repairing the portcullis will take time - a few days, I imagine, but the gate itself could be barricaded by this time tomorrow. Are you expecting an attack from the rear?”
“Something like that.”
“How very pragmatic. And, a word of advice: I would recommend stocking up on as many supplies as you possibly can in the coming weeks.” He said, “With this plague and the unfortunate tragedy of our last farms being torched - nothing to do with you, of course - bread is suddenly more expensive than venison, venison is more expensive than Dwarven spiced wine, and Dwarven spiced wine is… well, it doesn’t exist anymore. Not in this part of the world, anyway.”
“Where does the city keep its warehouses?” She asked.
“The southern district, where trade is strongest - or, was strongest.” He answered.
New Quest Received! "The Long Haul" - Pilfer the contents of a warehouse Reward - 1,700xp
New Quest Received! "Gold & Blood" - Occupy Tonberg's southern district Reward - 3,900xp
“I appreciate the information.” Lieze allowed a cursory glance over her new objectives.
“All is well, then? Things have become ever so busy since your arrival.” Baccharum allowed his slender fingers to caress a mountain of paperwork on his desk, “I’ve had nobles requesting to be quietly ferried from the city to somewhere less… full of undead.”
“There is nowhere safer.” She replied.
“That’s what I keep telling them, but they simply aren’t having it.” Somehow, Lieze could sense him shrugging, “I will be observing your continued victories with interest, Miss Lieze.”
As she made her way back up the staircase, Lieze was beginning to understand the Elven fixation with darkness as light poured out from the doorway above. But she had no time for comfort. A conflict greater than any other was brewing on the horizon, and she was to be the Order’s representative in ensuring undead supremacy.
Destroyed as it was, the eastern district was hers to hold. As soon as she emerged from the inconspicuous trap door leading into Baccharum’s hideout, she made her way to the cemetery to oversee her allies’ efforts to recuperate losses from the battle.
Gravewalkers patrolled the streets with absolute freedom as she crossed the lifeless streets. Marché was hard at work raising as many thralls as his MP would allow. He and his cultists were barely making a dent in the piles of corpses - a welcome surprise, considering their combined efficiency.
“Lieze.” Sighting the girl, he ceased his communion, “Drayya has provided us with some direction. She believes it would be best to ferry these thralls back to the hideout as soon as possible to begin improving them via alchemy.”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” She replied, “Better yet, we should consider moving our alchemy supplies closer. I wouldn’t want Alistair’s men taking notice of our routes and moving to exploit our supply line.”
“Speaking of supplies, we-”
“-We’re running low, yes. I’ve noticed.” Lieze interrupted, “We no longer have the pleasure of trading freely with the city, but I’m mending that as we speak. Baccharum has agreed to provide us with supplies and information in exchange for gold.”
“Do you think he’s trustworthy?”
“No.” She replied without missing a beat, as if truer words could never be spoken, “-But he has no choice. I’ve already nipped that problem in the bud, so you needn’t worry.”
“Hm. And our next move?”
“The southern district. Not only will it provide us with all the supplies we need, but-”
“Wait, wait - the southern district?” It was Marché’s turn to interrupt, “That’s far too dangerous. We’re talking about the square. The waycastles leading up to the fortress. If there’s anywhere Alistair will have consolidated his manpower, it’s there.”
Though she loathed to admit it, Marché had a point. She was single-mindedly pursuing the suggestions of her scale as if it could do no wrong without considering the consequences. Her cult had been caught in flux - liable to fall apart at the slightest prod. She didn’t have the freedom of throwing it into a risky situation.
“...That’s true.” Eventually, she spoke, “We have access to the sewers, so we could theoretically attack any district, but moving to the north would be faster and less dangerous. What is there to find in the northern district, exactly?”
“The estates of Tonberg’s wealthiest citizens. It’s a nice piece of territory to hold, with tight roads and plenty of bends to get our thralls lost in.” Marché explained, “Not to mention, it’s most likely the least-defended area in the city.”
New Quest Received! "The Aristocrats" - Occupy Tonberg's northern district Reward - 3,100xp
“...That’s not a bad suggestion.” Lieze admitted.
“By the Gods - are you feeling alright? I never thought I’d hear that out of you.”
“I don’t have a problem with being corrected so long as it comes from a place of rationality.” She replied, “-But whatever we decide on, it’s important to remember that time is not on our side. If we strike, then we must do so quickly and mercilessly.”
“It’ll be another day before we can raise even half of these corpses.” Marché gestured to the stinking heaps of rain-soaked flesh surrounding them, “In the meantime, I’ll send out someone to monitor the district perimeter. If the Church comes knocking, then it’s best to have some warning rather than none at all.”
“I agree.” A short silence passed, “...Where is Drayya, by the way?”
“Back at the hideout. Said she was going to ‘clean up’ - whatever that could possibly mean. I knew better than to try and stop her.” He answered.