Chapter 33: The Cost of Doing Business
It has to be three, maybe four, in the morning and you are still just sitting here, again.
Perched on the edge of your bed you can not shake the image of Trakk's granddaughter. During the day you can push it away but it comes back at night, every night.
You have tried everything short of nepenthe, that wonderfully addictive opioid, to fall asleep and none of it is working.
In frustration you get up, if you can not sleep then you will go for a walk.
Quietly you dress; you slip out into the lit hallway. As you carefully close your door the door to Thaïs' room opens and your friend slips out. She spots you immediately and you exchange a nod as you come together.
"Can't sleep?" she whispers.
You nod, "You either?"
She nods, "Trakk's granddaughter-"
"-Brenna, yeah, I know..." you slip into silence as you hold one another's gaze.
"Going for a walk?" she breaks the silence.
"Yes, want to come?" you reply.
She does not answer but extends an arm. You take it as the pair of you drift through the quiet halls of the palace.
She tries to direct you to the gardens but you have another destination in mind, "The roof?" you suggest.
"Sure," she shrugs.
The two of you pass dozens of guards on your way to the roof, a few of them are even real military. The King is not taking any chances and has tripled the security at the palace since the attack by the Watcher's minions. They do not stop you as you wind your way to the top of the palace, they all know who you are now and they all know that the two of you are free to go anywhere but the royal chambers without permission or pass. They merely nod as you pass the last of them and exit to the roof.
The night air is refreshing, it helps clear your head and it seems to be doing wonders for your friend as well. She begins to speak as the two of you lazily stroll along the inner walkways of the buildings exterior, "I just... The image will not remove itself from my mind."
You know exactly how she feels, "I keep seeing my, ah, your-" you shake your head.
"Our," she helps you along.
You nod, "Our memory of that doll, it was so much like her."
"It is horrid, Derryth. She will have to go through her whole life like that, and her father!" your friend speaks, anger rising in her voice.
You calm her with a hand on her shoulder, "I know, I know. If only we could do something for-" you stop and she stops with you. An idea hits you and runs down your spine like a bolt from the heavens. You grin as you turn to your friend, "Maybe she does not have to."
She gives you your favourite look, "You have that look again. What are you plotting now?"
"I think I can fix them Thaïs!" you exclaim triumphantly, "I have the theory needed, a more powerful version of the Heal spell, we could restore their bodies."
She leaps at you, hugs you, and does her best to squeeze the life out of you, "That is magnificent, Derryth! You are magnificent! How do we do it?"
As she releases you, you begin to construct a plan, "Well I will need help casting it, you and Lyssa at the very least. You will both have to master Heal first. We'll also need a lot of energy, mandrake roots maybe or something else entirely," you frown, "Then there are the risks to consider, this spell could easily kill us if we are not careful and I have never actually tried to cast it before. If there are any flaws in it..."
"If there are any flaws in it we will figure them out!" she has snatched up your idea and is running with it, "We can get the King to supply us with mandrake roots! It will be great for his image and he has the money now! I will go locate Lyssa and we can get started right away!"
She turns to run back inside, as you grab her arm you laugh, "It is the middle of the night don't you think we should let her sleep?"
"Too late for that!" a voice calls out from the dark, "Do you two have any idea how much noise you are making?
Lyssa rubs her eyes and picks straw out of her hair as she approaches the two of you.
You trade an amused glance with your friend, "You sleep up here Lyssa?"
"Ah, sometimes," she stretches, "My hut was not always the most relaxing place to rest so I would often sleep under the stars next to my tree. After a while you just sort of get used to it and it is difficult to sleep inside," she shrugs, "So what is this about needing me?"
"We need your help to restore a child and her father," Thaïs answers.
Lyssa smiles, "That sounds like a good cause if ever I heard one. Count me in."
You spend the better part of the night and much of the morning fleshing out your plan. You will increase the time the three of you spend together to properly teach them the spells necessary to perform the ritual. On top of your enchanting practice and supervising the girls this will leave you precious little time to attend to your own affairs but it feels right. You want to help that child and her father, you will help them and by Wyrd you will succeed!
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The next few days are spent in meetings, meetings and yet more meetings slipped in between your practice and other duties. Albrecht's people have sent over a small mountain of paperwork along with an army of clerks to help you sort through the assets on offer. It took a while but you finally settled upon your reward, or at least part of it.
Mayer arrived soon after with a smaller but still daunting report about his activates in your name.
In fact the banker is just finishing his presentation, "So as you can see ladies, my efforts are already beginning to bear fruit. I can secure a substantial amount of the assets available but I need more funds to do it."
"Well we are considering our options on that front Mayer," your friend replies.
You draw out three folders from the stack nearest you, "Yes, we have arranged a number of financing options, we just need to decide how much risk we want to take on here."
The three of you spend the rest of the day discussing how you are going to finance your attempt to secure the assets on offer. You also lay out a few conditions for Mayer to follow as he proceeds with your plan.
As the sun begins to set and the banker leaves your wing of the palace you feel quite confident.
Thaïs organizes papers behind you as you watch the banker go, "I think we are finally making progress here, this might just work out after all."
A dry voice chimes in with undercurrents of mirth and resignation, "I am sure it will work out great and we won't get attacked by psychotic mages, or crazy wives, or undead dwarves or-"
"Alright, I get it! A bit harsh though don't you think," you reply as you turn to face your friend.
She stares at you in shock, "I did not say anything Derryth, but I definitely heard something."
"Wait, you two can hear now?" the voice responds cautiously.
"Caoilainn? Is that you?" you match the voice's caution
The voice screams and cheers, "It worked! Yesssss! It fucking worked! Finally! Oh Wyrd! They can hear me! They can hear me! Ye gods and little fucking fishies, THEY CAN HEAR ME!!!"
Thaïs claps her hands to her ears, "We can hear you! We can hear you shouting in our ears as well!"
"Oh, fuck. Sorry," Caoilainn responds quietly.
"Well then, I guess congratulations are in order, you finally did it," you reply laughing.
You can feel the relief and the joy in her 'voice', "You have no idea, no idea, how lonely it was to be trapped in there. To see and hear everything but not be able to communicate at all."
"We thought as much," you friend answers, "Did our lessons help at all?"
She radiates gratitude, "Yes. Oh, definitely. I mean, I have never touched a spell book in my life. Without your help I have no idea how long it would have taken to figure out how to use these things. Thank you, thank you both. Um, also, thank you for saving my life in the Dreaming. It would have been so easy to just let me die."
"Well, your welcome," you and Thaïs grin at one another while Caoilainn hums a happy tune. It occurs to you that now that you can communicate you should be able to test out the bracelets with a little more freedom than the Faceless allowed you.
You decide to take advantage of Caoilainn's good mood, "Caoilainn?"
"Yes," she answers as she hums.
"Do you think we could test out a few thing now that we can properly communicate?" you do not want to startle her with what you plan to do next.
"Ah, sure. Why not!" she replies still ecstatic over her success.
"Okay," you nod to Thaïs, "The first thing I want to try is to take of the bracelets for a few seconds. We need to know what happens if they are not active."
"Um, that won't kill me will it?" fear begins to bleed into her words.
"No it should not," Thaïs replies, "The original occupant of these bracelets spent quite some time in them in their deactivated state. We do not yet understand how they work though."
"We would really appreciate it," you add.
"Well, ah, yeah, alright. I mean I would be dead or demon food without you so why not," she is trying to be casual about it but it is clear that she is still quite uneasy about this.
"Alright, here we go," You slip your bracelet off and the magic in Thaïs' goes dormant. You count to ten and slip the bracelet back on.
It clamps down on your wrist as your friend yelps, hers must be doing the same. It is squeezing so tightly that you begin to lose feeling in your hand, "Caoilainn, stop! Stop!" you shout.
The bracelets relax again as Caoilainn wheezes in your mind, "Don't... don't ever do that again please."
"What happened?" Thaïs asks.
She calms herself enough to answer, "Everything died. All my senses. I was completely cut off from everything and time just sort of stretched out into eternity. If you told me I was trapped for hundreds of years I would believe it and... and I think there is something else in here with me. It felt like I was being watched and that whatever was watching me was enjoying my fear."
"Could it have been some sort of hallucination?" you ask.
She laughs a little, trying to calm herself, "Yeah, that is probably what it was. Just my mind playing tricks on me, but, ah, don't do it to me again please."
Thaïs, trying to help her, changes subjects, "Well Caoilainn, now that we can properly communicate we would like to offer you a proper position in our organization."
"I suppose, not like I have anywhere else to go. But are you two actually offering me a job?" she laughs.
"Yes," you add, "For now we could use another set of eyes and in time perhaps we will find a way to retrieve your body or get you a new one."
"Well then I guess it is settled," she begins to hum again, "Where do I sign up?"
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Your plan to heal Trakk's family has run into minor difficulties. Your incomplete knowledge of the ritual involved is an obstacle that can not be easily overcome. Really there are only three ways to solve the problem that faces you. You could attempt to puzzle through it on your own though that would take time. You could enlist the aid of the fellows at the Academy but you already have them working on the Oneiroi spells for Meletē and you would prefer they focus on one task at a time. It is difficult enough to get them to focus as is.
Finally you could pursue the one person you are certain can help you cast this spell. The Heron Guard you helped during the attack on the palace, Six Winds Soaring Eagle.
It is for this reason that you are visiting the Imperial Embassy this afternoon. It is not a pretty building, there are no overt signs of wealth here. It is simple, unassuming, if you had not been told where to find it you doubt you would have, at least on most days. Today a string of large men hurry in and out of the building, they are carrying boxes out of the embassy and loading them into a number of wagons lined up in the courtyard.
Despite the high security you gained admittance quickly enough, perhaps it was you reputation or your twenty dwarf escort. Either way you were immediately granted access to Six Winds Soaring Eagle's offices. Though naturally your guards had to wait outside.
They are simple, utilitarian. Clean white walls, cold hardwood floors. A desk, three chairs, a bookshelf or two and that is all. It is cool in his office, a welcome reprieve from the heat of the city. The air tastes fresh and smells of pine. For a moment you feel like you are back in the northern empire, it passes quickly as you return your attention to the man you have come to see.
The Heron Guard sits behind his desk, he is dressed in a simple brown tunic and trousers. His hair hangs loose behind him. Even without his armour and blades he maintains his martial air yet merely looking at him instils in you a feeling of peace and serenity.
"I did not thank you for your aid against that creature at the palace," he begins solemnly.
"Don't worry about it," you reply.
"No thanks are required," Thaïs adds in agreement.
"All the same," he bows slightly in his chair, "You have my thanks, if there is something I can do in recompense."
"Well now that you mention it, yes," you respond with enthusiasm, "We could use an expert in healing magic to help some friends of ours, perhaps you could help us?"
"Perhaps," he answers, "Please go on."
Thaïs makes your case, "A pair of dwarves, father and daughter, were recovered from Eberhardt's prisons, they suffered greatly-"
He nods and raises a hand to stop her, "Yes, I was present at the trial. I know who you speak of. It is with deep regret that I must inform you that I do not have the necessary skills to repair them. You see there are many different types of healing spells and the sort of restoration spells necessary to make them whole again are simply beyond my abilities. You would need to take them to Muirthemne and the masters of my order to receive the aid you require."
"Well actually," you correct him, "We think we have the spell needed to restore them but we lack experience in this field of magic. We do not yet have full control over it and we hoped-" you stop as you catch the scent of something coming from outside the room, you think it is alcohol.
Thaïs kindly finishes your thought, "-that someone such as yourself would have the requisite experience to aid us in completing the ritual in question."
You both stare at him cautiously.
He frowns, "Where did you learn this spell?"
You tell him the truth, well most of it, "I devised it myself from the theory behind a simpler spell and with knowledge taken from other fields of magic."
His frown grows deeper, "Where did you learn this 'simpler' spell."
"Does it matter," you reply instantly.
"Perhaps," he holds your gaze, when you do not back down he shrugs, "Perhaps not. I merely ask as it is forbidden for members of my order to teach spells to outsiders. If you learnt this spell from a Heron Guard I am honour bound to find out who."
Your response comes freely and easily, "Then rest assured that I have not received training from any Heron Guard in this matter. My knowledge of healing magic did not have its origins with your order."
He scrutinizes you, attempting to pry answers from you with his eyes alone. You do not flinch, you have nothing to fear, so far you have told him the truth. The odour grows stronger.
He seems satisfied, "Very well, I will help you. Give me a moment to gather my things and we can be off-"
"You will do nothing of the sort!" an older 'gentleman' reeking of alcohol shouts as he barges into the room, "You will remain at the embassy with the rest of the staff until we are ready to leave!"
He is a large man, probably a fighter in his youth given the way he carries himself. Even now, though ringed round in fat, he could probably pose a serious threat to many men half his age. You examine him further, certain that something about him is familiar. His grey hair is trimmed close, his great moustache hangs halfway down his chest. He is dressed in the best that money can buy, from his shoes to his hat. Twenty years ago he was probably quite charming and as he stands there fuming you finally realize who he reminds you of, that young cavalry officer from the palace. This man must be his father.
"Damh, what are you doing in my office?" Eagle responds, calm but clearly annoyed.
"I will go where I damn well please! And you have no right to be that familiar with me Eagle. Address me as Mr. Brannon or not at all!" your ears perk up at the mention of his clan name. This man is your enemy though he thankfully does not realize it yet.
Eagle lets out a weary sigh, you get the feeling that this is not the first time he has had this conversation, "Very well, Mr. Brannon, but what I do on my own time is none of your concern. I fully understand that you are distraught over the death of young Colin but marching around the embassy terrorizing the staff is hardly the way to go about things."
Damh Brannon looks every bit a volcano ready to erupt, he sputters, "You are not leaving Eagle! We have work to do before the embassy closes and you will not dodge this responsibility as well!"
Eagle chokes back his response, instead he turns back to you, "I am afraid I will not be able to help you ladies."
It is clear that Eagle is willing to help but he can not or will not go directly against Damh Brannon's instructions. You could give up and try something else or you could push on and try to get Eagle's help instead.
1. Eagle and the Brannon - How do you want to play this?
A) Try something else (All A options are counted together):
i. You will attempt to puzzle out the spell on your own.
ii. You will get help from the Academy
B) Push on:
i. You will try to convince Eagle to defy Damh's instructions and come with you anyway.
ii. You will try to convince Damh that he should let Eagle come with you immediately though he does seem awfully upset.
iii. Damh seems to enjoy a drink, or at least is drinking to cope with his grief. You offer to escort him to a nearby pub and buy him a drink (or a few dozen) in memory of his son. Perhaps you can convince him to let Eagle help you that way.
iii. freeform
2. Your Reward - Albrecht's men presented you with a list of assents that he could reasonably transfer to you without causing too much of a stir. (You can chose one or two as you see fit. Only choosing one would make Derryth seem less threatening than choosing two but she thinks she could get away with either. Each combination will be counted separately, AB will be counted separately from A or B votes for example.)
A) Mines - Three mines north of Myrgard, two gold and one copper, they belonged to House Eberhardt and when functional produce one tenth of the ore for the kingdom.
B) Warehouses - Four warehouses on the south side of the city. They are currently full of goods but there has not yet been time to catalogue what is in them.
C) The Factory - A new building in which textiles were to be produced. It has not been finished though much of the machinery is in place.
D) The Farms - A substantial stretch of farmland between Myrgard and Stoneheim. These lands produce one third of the food for the kingdom.
E) Blackrock Securities - One of the largest private security forces in the Kingdom. Most of its management are now dead but the organization limps on seeking new financing.
F) Caravan Contracts - The Eberhardt's held a number of trade contracts between Myrgard and Stoneheim which have all been seized. If you can keep the merchants loyal and protected they could make you a fair bit of money.
G) Gold - You will take your reward in confiscated funds (500 WPs) (This can be chosen twice)
3. Mayer's Activities - You gave him a few instructions on how to go about acquiring properties, what were they?
A) Get as much as possible however he can.
B) Secure as much as he can without doing anything legally questionable.
C) Play nice, only pursue properties that are not contested by powerful individuals or houses. You do not want to step on anyone's toes.
D) freeform
4. Financing - How much do you give Mayer to work with? And where do you get it from?
A) From your own pocket, you give him ________. (Include how many WPs you want to give him, the value can not be higher than what you have on hand.)
B) You take out a loan from Mayer of 300 WPs at 15% monthly interest.
C) You take out a loan from the Goldsmith Guild of 1000 WPs at 20% monthly interest
D) freeform