Guild Hall Basement Office – Year 1344, Month 1, Afternoon of the 9th. Spring
A Quiet Observer
“… important matters to discuss.” Droned the dry voice of the man standing at the table, had this been presented to outsides the attempt at added impact could be seen as necessary. Here it was just him being his pretentious self-important self. Politicians.
“And I’m saying this is important, a gods-be-blessed with at least three divine skills. Here, in our hall!” shouted the demi-dwarf, a local leader among the adventurers. His growing beard dragged across the table as he attempted to present his case.
That was the only new thing presented in todays meeting. Doogan growing a beard, he had been adamant in earlier years about beards being obtrusive unneeded things only fit to be shorn away lest they impede you in your daily tasks. We all knew he was merely fighting his heritage due to some overly conflated early childhood trauma, but we let it go as another quirk of character.
On second thought, that was another new thing for the day, Doogan was speaking in support of another. Not to be misunderstood. he was always supportive of the guild at large, no, I cannot say that I recall him ever speaking up for just one person. The guild needs this, the guild needs that, and the Hall could do with a little more variety in the mess hall. All small complaints or grievances that would slightly improve the place without toppling the basket that is our budget.
The assemblage had been arguing about the validity of their own issues for well over an hour already. Doogan with his protégé, the priest with our need to be more venerating toward the pantheon, the mayor always complaining that he needed to start taxing our members wages, and the others of the room who did not note a mention. They would cycle in and out of attendance as their small minds willed them, never committing to a more permanent role in the proceeding; either lacking motivation or a worthwhile cause they just faded away.
We were in the same meeting room we always used for our little gatherings. The large irregular table around which the group sat with chairs of equal size and ornament. The walls were festooned with garish and macabre mounted trophies of varying rarity. One new addition seemed to be a large feral brood-mother, its fangs glistening in the firelight as its maw was preserved open and savagely tense; when did we get that?
“I think Doogan may actually have a valid point, Sigmund.” Said priest Darius from his chair. “Not that what Mister Doogan says is ever lacking, mind you. But a thrice blessed is something we should address as the local council. It is written in the charter as well as the holy scriptures. We cannot simply pass it by.”
He was a smartly dressed man, average in all but his presence. He could walk into a crowded bazaar wearing only rags and have the whole interest of all gathered in moments, he may not convince them of anything important, but they would listen, and they would remember. His head was covered in his dark brown hair, going a little silver at the edges. His thick bushy brows only served to highlight his blue eyes which were situated above his rather large, hooked nose. His jaw was rounded and even, sporting a small beard neatly trimmed and clean. A warm smile was always present unless his ire was raised, even then his soft and steady way of speaking made him an easy man to follow.
“Aye! That’s the spirit Darius, though I’m not sure if I should be taking offense for some reason. This girl needs training and protection. I say we move her on up and start getting her ready to meet her destiny!” Doogan said these last words with a little more zeal than I had observed from him in previous encounters. I must admit my curiosity was piqued by no small amount as I listened to the support gushing from the man’s mouth.
“A girl? You wish us to allocate resources to a girl-child? You say she came to our lands via a mana storm, marking her as a restart. We all know they show potential at first, who wouldn’t when they get to pop back to level one and move up again escaping the more obvious pitfalls. As a child she will hit the wall of her knowledge and the barrier that represent quite early.” Sigmund could not quite achieve speaking without the same nasal voice he used at court, even amongst equals. “For what reason should we care at all?”
I had seen my fair share of clashing egos and butting heads in my long years, who hasn’t. Three hundred years as a member of the guild, I’d seen both Sigmund and Doogan grow from children to adults, though with differing paths and proclivities they had arrived at adulthood quite a distance apart, at least regarding their personality. There were both people of power and influence, it was just a matter of degrees, and use.
I sat through it all, unseen by most of the people in attendance. I caught a glance my way from the priest and knew he had been waiting for me to weigh in on the matter, but I was waiting, there were others here that I would like to hear from before I made my own voice heard. One of them looked to be about to start.
“I believe that we should indeed have a look at this waif. If for no other purpose than to judge her, to see if Doogan’s words hold merit. Not that I doubt your esteemed word, sir. I suggest we bring her around and mayhap see for ourselves why you’ve taken such an interest in her. You said she looked Elven, and a young girl as well. I would love a chance to meet her and help gauge her potential. New talents in this part of the empire should be nurtured if they prove useful.” The woman speaking was Andrea Avery, she had a seat here only as a member of the local government, being that she had a seat on the council of North Jaga she had the privilege of sitting in on these meetings when she made herself available, a position she likely used for her own gain. Her orange eyes were framed by a muted blonde hair, she was attractive in the way that a snake is captivating, you could stand transfixed until she decided whether to smile at you in parting or consume you for her own gain. I did not trust this woman.
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“I cannot say whose side I am on, myself.” This from the mayor of South Jaga, his position was one of election, unlike the city across the water who had a council of a size that fluctuated with the season, this city elected a mayor who would serve a term of three years with a maximum term of twelve. Term limits helped to keep corruption to a minimum. Sure, it happened, but by limiting their terms we limited their power and ability to cause far reaching harm. We did not need another Dynast-King. “While Mister Doogan has always spoken up only when he believes that a benefit can be obtained for the people of the city and his hall, I cannot commit resources to a project without some semblance of a plan and a possible benefit for our city being evident. The citizens would want me to get more information on the matter.”
I was unsure of whether anyone in the room but myself noticed the way his eyes lingered on Avery for seconds longer than any other member of the discussion, but I doubt anyone else saw her smile shift slightly in annoyance. Speaking of corruption, I daresay I’ve found some out.
“You always were too cautious to be counted on, Harris.” Doogan groused, impossibly unfazed at the reddening face of the mayor. “Now, listen here Sigmund, we ought not have to fight over this here issue, what say we wait until she gets back from her trip across the river and then we can revisit. Darius and you would surely be a good influence on her growth, much as I hate to say. Imagine having someone with such potential looking back fondly on your tutelage, received when they were so weak and alone. If nothing else, do it for your own benefit.”
And that would be the nail sinking in this topic, I could already see Sigmund mulling over the last spin from Doogan. He was an honest man, but his ego was always going to be something of a weak point, stoke that ego and embellish the benefits and that’s it, Sigmund would be right on board. He might not be as proactive as he would be if it were his own project, but he would stick with it until it became a burden, if for no other reason than to gain a future favor from this new asset. Barring a payout there he would lord this ‘favor’ over Doogan for an age.
“Assuming we do this, what would you suggest as reasonable expectations?”
“Well, if we get her right properly educated and trained, I would bet she could climb to the fifth rank, if not higher.” Was Doogan’s quick answer. “Mind you this could take some time; it would still be a climb faster than our own. I think we would make of ourselves a steppingstone for her future.”
“Surely you jest, a fifth rank protégé? How could you be so sure this early, from which continent was she transported in the storm?” Sigmund paused then to wait for a reply from Doogan. It was a good question, there were many elven continents in the world though few had ever travelled the seas to understand the dangers of visiting any continent but our own.
It would not be an easy thing to justify the expense of a sea voyage to locate one additional continent. There existed in many libraries across this landmass maps of other continents, including their capital cities that had been pieces together through the questioning of the many transports brought here but no one quite knew in which direction they were, those that did had no idea of the distance.
“There is some information I cannot share at this time; the girl has a right to some privacy.” Came Doogan’s eventual response, which seemed to interest the other man.
“The fact that you would withhold that information here, in our presence leads me to believe she has quite the lineage or leverageable position in her homeland. Is she of the Talydrose royal family, or perhaps a Makiinosian?” queried Sigmund.
“Her peerage or lack thereof should not be the case here.” Darius had finally deigned to weigh in. “All citizens have the right to some privacy, though why this information pertaining to her origin must be sheltered confuses me. I stand with Doogan if he believes she will be an asset.”
“You only agree because of the potential benefit to your church, the Three above know that the church would see a great amount of traffic while displaying a new thrice blessed novice.” Sigmund shot back.
“I motion that we address the other topics of concern before this council returns to this topic after further thought. We have much to do and unlike you fine gentlemen we have limits to our allotted time here.” This from mister mayor, though he made this statement after looking to Avery. I would need to investigate their connection, a mayor colluding with a councilwoman from across the lake. If nothing else his wife should know.
A small chorus of assenting voices echoed across the room as people agreed to move along, even as a knock sounded at the door to the room. A moment passed as the group looked toward the door, the door to a room accessible to few people without proper clearance or a chaperone.
After that brief initial pause the door slowly opened to reveal a blue haired woman with silver eyes, it was one of the guild hall secretaries, Sicily I think was her name. She looked troubled.
“Excuse me, Master Doogan. Could I have a word?”
“Aye lass, I’ll be there in a moment.” Doogan made to stand and leave the room before being interrupted.
“No, I believe we are still in a meeting here Doogan. If it were truly so urgent as to have need of you leaving a council meeting prematurely, I believe she could share this information with the whole of the room.” Sigmund said while fixing the girl with a look of mild distaste, whether from disdain at being interrupted or a dislike of people serving a lower station I could not tell.
“Aye, well. Sicily, can you just tell us what you are here for? If its guild related most people here would find out eventually.”
“Yes, well…”
“Yes?”
“It’s about Miss Munroe.”
“Ahh! Yes, yes. We were just talking about her; did she get back early?” A frown had formed on his face for a moment as he delivered the line. “Where exactly did Alex take her that they would be back after only a day…”
“No sir, it’s not that. It’s her stone, it went dark.” Her face sunk a little at the verbalizing of those words. Understandably so.
“No… Are you sure it was here stone?”
“Yes, Master Doogan. James confirmed it.”
A clatter was heard as Doogan’s chair hit the ground and he left the room, wrapping an arm around Sicily as they turned the corner and left.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe it best if we were to adjourn this meeting for the day.” Darius said into the now quieter room.
“Right, right. Yes. Time to go.” Sigmund stammered out before he too left the room, followed in small spurts by the others in attendance, clearly at a loss as to what had just happened.
It was indeed a sad day when a stone went dark, most people here would not know why. The stones are a representation of a member of the guild’s status. They were created using a small bit of essence captured from the guild member upon registration by varying methods, some used blood while others used things like the Magi’s Orb that was employed by this hall. It was essentially a small tracking stone for guild members, and they went dark for very few reasons. Death being one of them.