I never saw so many of our townspeople at one time before. Included were people I had never seen, as well as the four off-duty members of the Duchy’s Guard, including Asha Yon. The cleric Harron Ronvaldt was standing with them as well. There must have been close to two hundred of us total. I was standing with Mom, Arrjee, Carrie, Onre, and Grandma. Dad, the Mayor, was onstage with Ronkel in her actual form. Her presence there made sense; she was the most senior person who had witnessed the events. The school’s two Skolturi, Asiel and Orian Windgarden, were standing next to the stage, near one side.
The rest of the gang was standing together a couple yards away. On my other side from them was Uncle Rallee and Rina. Standing right next to them were Mowd, the guardsman Drahm Frahm and Corval Hirsut; the latter two had become fast friends.
Saving someone’s life would tend to do that.
Yes.
Once it was clear everyone likely to come was already at the Village Square, The Mayor called for everyone's attention. We quickly became silent; everyone was interested in the explanation of what had happened this afternoon.
“I thank everyone for coming. Today we lost one of our foremost citizens, a man I had served while he was Mayor, and a man I consider a friend, Sterbian Morse. His death was a senseless one, caused by forces that have nothing to do with the village of Cottages. These may yet impact us later, however. I will discuss that after you are informed of this afternoon’s events, and after we take time to remember our friend Sterbian.”
“On stage with me now is Ronkel. As you can see, she is a Skolturi Wraith. She was asked by the god War to visit here, but now she has decided to make Cottages her home. She intends to establish both a Thieves Guild and a branch of the Thieves Guild Bank, helping to advance our village to a full town. That was going to happen anyway with the adventuring school, but now we can expect our growth to be more orderly and structured. Ronkel witnessed many of the events this afternoon, and has agreed to share what she knows. Rhonda Silverstone witnessed events prior to what Ronkel saw, and she will be our next speaker. Ronkel, I turn the stage over to you.”
Dad stepped back from the podium and she stepped forward. “Thank you, Mayor. I did not have the chance to know Sterbian Morse, but from the reaction of those near him, I know he was a worthy individual who served Cottages well for many years. In a few minutes two women will tell us about him. I am here to discuss what happened near the school this afternoon while a number of our youth were working to improve their skills during apprenticeship.”
Ronkel related the events step by step, pretty much as I remembered them. She began at the point Arrjee saw his seriously injured grandmother. For a moment she even morphed into her balloon beast form to illustrate how she called Harron and the two other Skolturi to the scene. Thankfully, she did not share that form’s full volume with us. Most had heard it from far away anyway. Her explanation of a masked curse, later bared, was in more detail than I had heard before. The masking of a curse within a blessing was something only a very few powerful individuals could accomplish. She tempered that explanation with the assurance the scroll was never meant to appear in a remote village like Cottages; instead it would have been meant as a long term degradation of the Fifth Duchy’s royalty.
“Many of you are wondering who or what this Priestess is. Einvigi and Skawa made it clear they do not even know. Until today, I had only heard rumors of her and her cult. Whatever they are doing, it is from the shadows of larger towns and cities. We believe the cult is trying to make headway on the Trichyan continent. Yet the cult will have limited scope among them. Due to the nature of their Group Mind, their direct corruption would not be easy. We have not seen signs that they have been attempting to establish themselves among the Skolturi. We are dead and do not corrupt easily. Our death was our corruption. Should any of us become dissatisfied or tired of this existence, we expire and move on to the cycle of resurrection.”
I had not thought about any of that.
I would call you a dumbass, but neither had I.
She closed with, “I know the Mayor wants to discuss the Priestess later in the meeting, but first I have the honor of presenting his Mother, Rhonda Silverstone. She was the first to be aware of Sterbian Morse’ troubles.”
Ronkel stepped back and Grandma stepped up to the stage. As she turned around, her face revealed to everyone that she had done a lot of crying this afternoon, but she had made no attempt to touch up or disguise the hurt she felt.
I hope her time with the Smithsons gave her some comfort.
I concur.
“Most of you know who Sterbian was, Many of you would meet him several times a week at his store. He was happy to share his expertise as a butcher and help provide your families with the perfect cuts of meat for whatever you were planning on cooking. Most of you remember him before that, when he was still Mayor and worked tirelessly for the benefit of our village. And many of you have strong memories of the opinionated curmudgeon he had become since then, up until this last month. He was all those things and more, and I was just coming to realize I loved that man.”
“We spent last night at his house. There was no sign of the curmudgeon. He was a caring, witty, perceptive, and virile lover, more concerned with how I felt and my desires than his own.”
Well, okay then. Interesting introduction to today’s events.
“When we got up, we had some bread and jam for breakfast. He promised an outstanding lunch after attending to his store in the morning. A few of you came by, and I witnessed a consummate vendor assisting his customers. Eventually, we broke for lunch.”
“He made us steaks and sweet potatoes, both excellent. I am sure those of you who had the pleasure of attending one of his barbecues can imagine. He was almost disappointed that I wanted my steak cooked medium rare, clearly believing it would be the most ideal rare. Yet he cooked it as I requested, and even … even if other events hadn’t happened, I will remember that meal as one of the best I have ever had. Simple. Meat, potatoes, and the company of someone you love to be with. Someone you love.”
She held up her arm, the one missing its hand. She was silent for quite a few seconds. “That man did not do this. That man would have rather died than do this. Ronkel told you about the cursed scroll. I was there when its frame broke. I was there to see him cut his thumb as he cleaned up the glass. I watched him lick off the blood and hold the scroll up for me to read. The nine words rang true.”
Protector of Family
Protector of Homes
Protector of Villages
“Tragically, his blood and saliva, and perhaps a tear at the bottom of the scroll, bared its hidden curse. What had affected him at a low intensity for years hit him with a fury. He froze for quite a few seconds, during which time I did not realize anything was wrong. I happened to analyze the scroll, and could identify its curses – fearfulness, depression, loneliness, paranoia. For years, from just a couple weeks after Barrie took over as Mayor, Sterbian had to fight that every day. Every Day. And yet, he only became a curmudgeon, one still concerned with the welfare of Cottages and her people. He could have given up, fallen apart, as the Priestess had expected members of the royal family to do. Sterbian Morse is probably the strongest man I have ever known. Yes, he had some respite for the last month, having moved the scroll away from his bed table. But it was still there, still an evil, degrading force in his home.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Grandma paused for a moment to gather her thoughts and regain control of her emotions.
Hell, I’m almost crying, and I barely knew him.
“I warned him about the curse, but it was too late. He literally wasn’t himself. At first, the bared curse addled his mind, filling it with distrust and unreasoning despair. Seconds later though – I know this now because Einvigi inspected my mind and revealed what she saw – a hate-filled aspect of the Priestess totally poisoned his mind and she meant to silence him with a curse of boiling blood. Now that I think about it, I don't even know if she knew or cared that I was there at all. Her plan with the scroll had failed, and she needed to silence any witnesses.”
“I slowed Sterbian with an alchemical powder and ran. Ronkel already told you the rest. Please remember that good, good man.”
Grandma was clearly drained. Both Dad and Ronkel guided her to a chair on stage. He stepped forward, “Thank you, Rhonda,” the Mayor said.He was visibly touched by her words. “As some of you realize, Sterbian was not a curmudgeon with everyone. When the Smithson family arrived from the Fourth Duchy, he befriended them. Their elder daughter has asked to share her memories of Sterbian. Please step up, keen Kossa.”
Wow, I haven’t heard that honorific in a while.
She got on stage and looked around almost warily at the crowd. After a moment, “There sure are a lot of you here! I thought this would be easy. They say to combat stage fright by imagining everyone in the audience having sex.” She paused for a moment and the crowd politely laughed. Apparently it was a known expression. “Sorry, that was inappropriate for what I am here to say.”
From behind her, Rhonda stage whispered, “No it wasn’t, dear! I started off imagining myself having sex.” There was more laughter, freer this time.
Kossa smiled, and continued with more confidence. “Grandpa, Uncle Sterbian, Sterbian Morse. Those were the names I knew him by in reverse order. To my family, he was a friend; the first real friend we made in Cottages. You all accepted us, helped us adapt. For that, we will always be grateful. But Sterbian, for whatever reason, adopted us. Without us trying, we became his family. He would spend time in our family’s shop, and we would spend time in his.” She smiled. “He was teaching my brother Mols the art of butchering. It seems gross to me, but it fascinated Mols. ‘With the grain’, ‘against the grain’, ‘don’t trim all the fat’ – I would hear Sterbian tell him these things, barely understanding what they meant. But Mols was dedicated, and when he came home, we would eat very well. Thank you, little brother. You can’t cook for your life, and neither can I. Thank the minor gods for our sister Kenna! He taught her that – how to take well-butchered meat and turn it into art worth eating.”
“What he taught me was the power and flexibility of hydromancy. Whether you are an adventurer, a guardsman, a street-sweeper, or a butcher chef, hydromancy provides a large set of useful skills. I have known for years I would be a bard, following after Dad Dad. When he died, it almost broke me, but it firmly set my heart on becoming an Instrumentalist Bard as my primary class. To honor Sterbian, I will be taking Hydromancy as my secondary.”
“We learned today he had been affected by that gods-awful scroll in a positive way, a blessing of familial comfort. I’ve thought a lot about that in the past few hours. Is that the only reason he liked us? Why like us and be so disagreeable with everyone else? My conclusion is that the blessing would not have been effective if he had not already considered us as family. I believe the blessing amplified, not defined, our relationship. In that, and in that alone, is the one aspect I do not hate about the Priestess. She took away a wonderful loving man, but for the last several months the Smithson family was able to share him in the fullest.”
Kossa turned her head around and looked at the Mayor. He got up and thanked her; she walked down the steps and joined her family. Dad told us, “Please show your appreciation to Kossa, Rhonda, and Ronkel.” We applauded for about half a minute. He raised his hand, and we stopped to listen.
----------------------------------------
“I am sure many of you have questions, and we will take some time in a few minutes to answer them. First, however, I want to suggest something to everyone here. Many of us, most definitely including myself, have become complacent. ‘Things are good here. We need not concern ourselves with the outside world.’ Today showed us how wrong that attitude is. Yes, we have some Level 50s in town now, and I am sure they will continue to aid us. But what of us? Should we not prepare ourselves? Do we want to need aid?”
He paused for just a moment and looked around at us as individuals. “I spoke with Rhetta when she got back this afternoon. She is 32 years old and Level 33. I am Level 34 and 33. We have both committed ourselves to get back into a training regimen. Without the Skolturi and the Duchy’s guardsmen here, we would have been overrun by bandits a week and a half ago. Rhetta and I plan to be Level 40 within five years – maybe higher and maybe quicker. One thing is sure; ‘good enough’ isn’t good enough any more. I am not going to ask for you to commit yourselves right this moment; my wife and I took quite a while in discussing it. Please do the same. In the next day or so, we will have sign up sheets and information concerning continuing education. This isn’t just for fighting skills. I would like craftsmen and townsmen to consider raising your skills as well.”
Once again there was a moderate amount of applause, presumably those who already decided that self improvement was their path forward.
“Okay,” the Mayor said. “We will take about a half hour to answer questions, then those who wish may follow us to the funeral pyre and observe Sterbian Morse’ body rejoin with the land of Heere.”
I didn’t even know there was a funeral pyre. But I haven’t seen any cemeteries, so I should have known the bodies were going somewhere.
Dumbass.
A voice behind me, one I think I recognized, shouted out, “Mayor Silverstone, I have been wondering something this whole time. Sorry, it doesn’t have anything to do with Sterbian Morse. I can see that a bank will benefit us, but why should we welcome a Thieves Guild? Isn’t that a bad thing?”
Dad replied, “That is a good question, Quorlin, relating to something I myself said. I may not be the best person to answer, since I have only heard of Thieves Guild and never interacted with one. Ronkel, would you like to answer him?”
Surprisingly, she responded, “No. I am the wrong person to attempt to assuage doubts. The Sholut family has just moved here from the City of Cycles, First Duchy. Merz or Belenay, what can you tell us of the Thieves Guild there?”
Merz walked forward and I heard him say that he didn’t think he could give the answer Ronkel wanted. Ronkel encouraged him to get on the stage and state what he knew.
“Uh, hello everyone. I am Merz Sholut. One of the main reasons we moved here was to have our daughter Niscus attend the adventuring academy. No, that’s not accurate; that is why Niscus is here. Belenay and I abandoned our well established and profitable jobs there due to hatred, bigotry, and gang intimidation and violence. Every few years Cycles has a gang war, and a number of innocent people die. Guilty people too, but that’s not the point. There is constant graft, and the people don’t know who in the city guard can be relied on. Um, sorry, I’m off topic. Cycles has a small Thieves Guild. The gangs ignore it. I think even the thieves ignore it. I don’t really know anything about it either. I’m sorry I could not be more informative.”
Ronkel smiled and thanked him and indicated he could go back. Then she began speaking to the crowd. “Merz said exactly what I hoped he would. The truth. What happens in a city without a strong Thieves Guild? You just heard. Chaotic forces rule and corrupt. The Guild, established early in a town’s growth by people willing to live by and enforce a code, does not allow that to happen. The underworld does not rule the city. Instead the Guild rules the underworld. Does the Guild consist of thieves? Yes, of course. Who do we steal from? People with sufficient money to make it worthwhile. Cottages does not yet have any worthwhile targets, but I look forward to us getting there!“
“Generally, if something becomes missing, the one who lost it can approach the Guild. For a ‘finders fee’ they can often get the item or coin returned. Who do we especially like to steal from? The greedy, the users, the abusers, snobs, and those who would lord over others. For whatever reason, the Guild sometimes is unable to find and return what such people lost, or if we do, they pay a premium. We sometimes steal from ourselves. Just like everyone else, we need to keep training.”
“Young Quorlin, does this answer satisfy you?”
He speaks loudly from behind me, “Uh, sort of. You are saying having a strong semi-ethical Thieves Guild is much better than the chaos and corruption which would occur otherwise.” Ronkel told him that was exactly right.
“Mayor Silverstone?” shouted a feminine voice to my left. I turned and saw it was Norrus’ Mom.
He replied, “Speak, Vosrin Loruste.”
“With Sterbian so quickly taken from us, where will we get our groceries? Who will be our butcher?”
Mom walked to the stage, obviously wanting to answer. Dad gave her the podium. “That was one of my questions as well, and the Mayor and I have discussed it. Unfortunately, Cottages currently does not have another butcher. So the quick answer is that tomorrow I will visit two nearby villages on my route that I know have experienced yet apprenticing butchers. They both work in grocery shops. I will invite them to come on Firstday and interview for the possibility of operating Sterbian’s store. Longer term, we will need to find his next of kin and make arrangements for selling the store to whoever is taking it over permanently.”
Ronkel volunteered, “I seem to be between positions. I can operate the grocery portion of his store until you find someone. I am not a butcher, however. If there is any meat left, what people buy will not exactly be professional cuts.”
A young voice shouted, “I can help!” It was Mols Smithson.