A public notice: the barrister puts his hand to labor.

[channe]

On the morning of the sixteenth of July, this letter appears tacked to the door of the Meetinghouse, and under the door of one General Eriks.

They will continue to appear across Myrken Wood for a week and a half afterward: tacked to trees, doors, and left in mailing-boxes; thirty new letters a day, shoved into laundresses' baskets and delivered to socialites and bartenders and stuffed below the doors of those Myrkenlanders who might be, as they would say in another world, a little... trigger-happy.

Trying to track down the author of these letters -- for it is certainly Helstone's cramped, neat script -- will prove far more difficult; he seems to be nowhere.

It says:

To the Myrkenborn, the People of this Province; General Eriks DeMord Sleipner and the Myrken Militia, patriots all:

Be it resolved that the we have discovered that we will shortly be under attack by forces belonging to the nation of Thessilane and loyal to its Duke Burel Tassnehoff, who has masqueraded as our ally for these past few difficult months all the while sharpening his lances, preparing his poisons, and setting his silent, treacherous eyes toward the wholesale destruction of the Myrken Wood province and the people who are its lifeblood;

Be it resolved that we no longer consider the nation of Thessilane to be our ally; that we are now at war and should not consider the Thessilanean nationals among us to be friendly;

Be it resolved that Thessilanean agents have been attacking caravans coming with aid from Foggy Bottom and Derry, slaughtering civilians and guards alike, and torching the contents; and that Thessilanean agents were behind the firebombing and destruction of Lothbury Estate in the attempt to ruthlessly murder our interim Governor Giscard Guillaume and plunge this province into further darkness and unholy anarchy;

Be it resolved, then, that the following people are wanted for treason against the Council and Myrken Wood itself, and that these following names must be brought to the justice of the people because we cannot rely any longer on the incompetent nancies that compose the Brotherhood of Janeiro;

-- Non-Myrkenborn members of the Brotherhood of Janeiro, murderers, who are have conspired against the people of Myrken Wood alongside the Thessilanean, Duke Burel Tassnehoff, to slaughter us all from inside our very own country, including the aspirants Cinnamon and Ravyn;
-- The werewolf Reagan Biske, the foreigner Elil, and the incubus Ignas Demonsbane for wanton murder against the Myrkenborn without proper direction and authority;
-- Cinjin Brevardiak and Broken Dagger guard D'ran, for their unrepentant murders and mutiliations of honest citizens of Myrken Wood, and their conspiracy with the drow to manipulate the Council into compliance;
-- Ariane Carnath-Emory, baroness of Thessilane, murderer, and wolf among us;
-- The monk Clopin, for conspiring with Cinjin in her murders;
-- The drow Audmathus and his conspirator the Successor Faeryl, for a plot to eviscerate every man, woman, and child in Myrken Wood, without care or regard;
-- Bryce Larose and Maxwell Bishop, for treason and conspiracy against the Council and the Myrkenborn due to their role in the illegal release of two prisoners vital to the defense of Myrken Wood and the weakening of provincial defenses in anticipation of the Thessilanean advance;
-- Suede Roschen, treacherous former Councilor of Agriculture, and his guard, the drow Jirai, for continued conspiracy to assist Audmathus, Faeryl and their forces;
-- Kals and Rhaena Olwak, for continual espionage on behalf of Thessilane;
-- Ky'faira, for prostitution and espionage;
-- Aeryn and Jons Feul, lieutenants of the traitorous Brotherhood of Janiero, for conspiracy to deliver Myrken Wood into the hands of a foreign power, for treason;
-- Doctor David D'Rael of the Rememdium Edificium, for treating Thessilanean traitors and helping spread the Bloody Flux; also, his assistants, the traitors Janessa and Raziqa;
-- Coran D'zir, the Hero of the Fivefold Blight no longer, who now conspires with his fiancée, elven Aislinn, formerly of Myrken Wood but now deemed a traitor, to kill the citizens of Myrkentown and assassinate its political and civic leaders;
-- Braddock Larose, Magdalaena Valteri, the demon Lokelei, for conspiracy and treachery;
-- Revania Rin'arie and her sister, Alligail Johnford Rin'arie, and their associate Kaelum, for conspiracy with Thessilane and the drow;

We must defend ourselves. We cannot trust anyone but the Myrkenborn; we must stand strong. It is the people who give me hope and the people who will rise above the black terrors that Treachery has wrought on us. We will be victorious – of that I am sure. I have the utmost faith in you and in the One God. I know the One is on our side -- that the Light is on our side – and that we will struggle through these terrible times to a brand new day.

Written by my hand, this Sixteenth day of July, 206.
Coriolanus Helstone, Councilor of Administrative Sanctions.


---

The signs have also returned.

The first: Maxwell Bishop and Bryce Larose sit in a darkened cave, being served a platter of grapes by a drow. THIS IS WHO DEFENDS YOU / DEFEND YOURSELF IF YOU WANT TO LIVE

The second: The gallows. THIS IS WHERE TRAITORS BELONG

(OOC timeline note: This post comes a day after the Helstone post in 'white dresses, black blood', and should be read as happening a day or two after that.)

[Treadwell]

Later this same afternoon, a blue-winged fairy messenger reports in to his king, Richard Aengus. What Richard Aengus has to say is. . . .

"Oh my goodness! That--that's quite near all the important people in the town!"

His little pink eyes go wide for a few moments, and then that tiny monarch shakes his head, dismisses his messenger, and wobbles away to the stairs leading up to his library tower. Up, up, up he goes, and it's a puffy, wheezy Richard who finally flumps into a couch in the royal library, bathed in the magical pink light that shimmers through a stained glass window of himself at the top of the tower's dome.

Richard needs time to reflect on this latest of tragedies--especially of how he might make an alliance with one Coriolanus Helstone and one Giscard Guillaume!

[Vanidor]

The response to that oh so bold declaration. Did Helstone truly believe that the Brotherhood, and those men and women who had come to join it, would cow to such things so easily? Or quietly for that matter. It was a quick order given from the interim commander of the Order, one given with the thought of the people themselves in mind. And so, as that decree had been passed out and amoungst the population...

So did the Brotherhood of Janerio return to their duties, and continue to patrol the streets. They returned to their 'rounds and moved as they always had. Oh, they surely were more edgy, but one would not find them drawing a sword when confronted, at least by members of the populace on a whole. They moved as one, it would seem, women and men serving their home. Born to it or adopted.

Captain Aeryn Karolinger, currently holding the position for Kerrak al`Nerun, had given them a message to give to the people. One that showed of their sincerity and their devotion to their task, even if it was a mercenaries one. They would patrol until the people told them not to. Until they ordered them off of the streets and defending their lives, they would stay and bear their weaponry for the people of Myrken. They had even added a symbol to the broad front of their coats, side by side with the symbol of Janerio, was that of Myrken itself. It had been seen on others before, that being on those who had been born in Myrken itself and had joined, but now the Order entire bore the badge. They were of Myrken, and hopefully they would stay...

The test, of course, would happen when Brotherhood met Militia...

[Rattrap]

The Miltia - a group of otherwise employed residents of Myrken Wood who have prepared themselves, officially and mentally, to draw up the sword in time of need. In a time when the Order of Straka - or now, the Brotherhood of Janerio - was not enough.

Or, if the above turned against the populace.

Was that what was happening? Maybe not. Helstone's words certainly pointed to that conclusion. And there was another, dropping words here and there, that the Councilor spoke true, at least on the accounts of Thessaline. He spoke persuadingly, and he spoke with inside knowledge of the workings of Myrken Wood's guard. He spoke of the 'takeover' Kerrak al'Nerun had performed on the Order of Straka. In short, he has been slowly and discreetly preparing a great body of Myrken Wood's Militia for this very moment.

When Masaccio saw Helstone's proclamation, the usually stoic ex-guard could not help himself to a thin smile.

Behind him, a pair of uniformed guards walked by, sparing the not unusually out of place man reading the sign only a glance and a frown. Masaccio returned each in kind and followed after the two. It was when they turned to inquire to his behavior that two members of the mentioned Militia fired on them from ahead.

The bodies weren't removed.

* * *

Ariel O'Cynen read Helstone's announcement with simple, straight-forward horror and despair. It seemed just about everything she'd feared was quickly coming true - not that some evil plot of the Drow or other unnatural forces would finally consume Myrken Wood. She believed - naively or not - that the hardy folk of the plagued land could stand up to any amount of that. She had to, in a way, given the territory's history.

But this was something else entirely. Something far more insidious - turning those hardy hands against each other. Blurring all the lines. Not even Ariel knew who to trust. Helstone seemed now a crazed paranoid; god forbid if he wasn't.

She didn't know what to do. There wasn't anybody left to trust. All the good men had left; Kanashia? Daniels? Her father? All left. Or dead. And would they even be able to help, if they could?

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Doctor David D'Rael hears of most news second-hand, from those frequent visits to the Rememdium Edificium. His response to the individual who had actually told him of his own arrest warrant was surprising to that individual - the woman was quite concerned for the Doctor's safety. And not quite sure David understood the severity of her news when he chuckled.

But she was easily consoled; after all, David had said, would she turn on him? Help the guard lock him up? No? Well, neither would anyone else. The Doctor held far more credibility than Councilor Helstone and he knew it.

Only a fool would go after the man whom so many owed their lives, and who stood truly neutral. That man wouldn't even hold a grudge - just go on about his job saving lives. Including those from Thessaline. God forbid someone seek his employees for anything other than praise and thanks.

* * *

The expression reading the note from below didn't exist. That is to say, his facial muscles did nothing to betray any thought or feeling. They rarely did. The short companion beside him - which is relative, considering neither very well top three feet - was considerably less composed, figiting and glancing nervously everywhere.

For the most part, though, the two Goblins Shout and Stone were virtually overlooked. Even the man standing beside them reading the same note didn't notice them. Nor did he notice when they slipped of the road into the nearby alley.

They still had a payment to collect.

* * *

Corporal Janis Williams was happy to have developed her uniform-forgetting habit; she felt a little self-concious when she read the note, glancing over her shoulder for some eager blood-thirsty farmer to take a stab at her. Naturally, there weren't any of those, and in the more seriousness of her mind, she knew there wouldn't be.

Like Ariel, Janis didn't really know at this point who to trust. Or, really, what the hell was going on. But she intended to find out.

First person first: Coran D'zir.

[Suede]

The tailor had woken to quite a surprise this morning, and he was not easily taken aback this day in age. The pamphlet had been brought to him, along with each of the pictures pasted up around town for him to mull over quietly. It was quite clear Helstone was not himself, and things could turn messier than even Suede would like to deal with if damage control wasn't administered.

Kerrak had disappeared, and many folks knew why, Helstone was clearly insane and several runners searching for him produced nothing, and Giscard... well Lothbury had clearly burned and when he'd sent someone to inquire on the Interim Governor, they'd be rather forcefully sent away.

He'd arrived at the Meeting House with no fan faire, entering quietly and heading not to his own office, but rather to the Lothbury man, Governor apparent's rune covered little corner of the building. Taking a marginal risk he entered the room and searched the desk, bookshelves, and similar for any sign of the Governor’s seal.

Throwing his arms up in frustration he'd stomped back through the building, like as not catching the attention of several Janiero still doing there duty. Good, that was good, but for now they were ignored. Once in the safety of his own little room he dropped down into the desk and slammed his hand against the bottom. A faint click and his hands shifted around until they rested on what he was looking for.

When his hands came back... he had the Governor’s seal... or a fabulous replica he'd made from copying the imprints on everything which came from that office. A little smile and now he wrote.

To the Citizens of Myrkenwood, local born and Thessilane;

I am certain at this juncture you have all become aware of the recent decree by Councilor Helstone. Let it be assured now, while we appreciate the Councilor's zeal in seeing the safety of our lands, families, and homes assured, he has overstepped himself and acted too hastily on poor information due to the stress of recent events.

In regards to the recent burning of Lothbury, though injury has occured, Interim Governor Giscard Guillaume is alive and recovering. Have no fears concerning this matter, and as of yet the origin of the attack has not been determined.

In regards to a Declaration of War against Thessilane, no one Council Member may make such an act breathe true without consent of the remaining Council Members. We are not at war with Thessilane, nor shall any member of the Brotherhood of Janiero be treated as a traitor unless performing acts which should warrant such a reaction.

In regards to the various accusations of treason against our fair land, the following adjustments shall be made either on the grounds of the audacity of the charges, lack of information, or lack of proof, or the simple fact that we the people are aware they are not traitors.
-- The Brotherhood of Janiero as an entity is not suspect of treason and are guilty of no conspiracies against us. They shall continue to serve as our guard against those whom threaten us, and those found bringing violence to them will be handed appropriate charges.
-- The woman Elil and the man known as Ignas Demonsbane are relieved of any charges Councilor Helstone may have unduly placed against them. However, the man known as Reagan Biske remains wanted, as he has been for several years for multiple charges of murder and assault. He is now also suspect of collaborating with the drow due to recent accruement of drow weaponry.
-- Both Cinjin and the tavern guard D`ran are not under any charges, but are requested to come to the Meeting House or Brotherhood Barracks for questioning in the nature of the accusations placed before them.
-- Due to Miss Ariane Carnath-Emory’s status as a Baroness of Thessilane she is under suspect for her intentions within Myrken Wood and is requested to report to the Brotherhood Barracks in due time. Failure to do so will force charges placed against her.
-- The monk Clopin is cleared of any charges against him, for we the people of Myrken Wood hold no grudges against the church and know that our clergy would never degrade to such actions.
-- The drow Audmathus and his conspirator Faeryl shall remain our greatest threat for their desire to conquer or kill every man, woman, and child of Myrken Wood. They need not be taken alive.
-- Bryce Larose and Bishop Maxwell are as current the most wanted men in Myrken Wood for their recent acts in freeing two fiends in the guise of children from Brotherhood Custody. It is through their actions that the greatest weapon of the drow may be released upon us in the form of the demon Audmathus’s child.
-- Suede Roschen remains Councilor of Agriculture, for no one Councilor may remove other due to the difficulty in maintaining even one Council Meeting if this were so. There are no charges reigned against either him or his bodyguard who continue to act with Myrken Wood in mind, and to use their greater knowledge of the drow to help the defenses of Myrken Wood prepare against them.
-- Kals and Rhaena Olwak, whom the Council as a whole are not familiar with, are requested to present themselves at either the Meeting House or Brotherhood Barracks in regards to the accusations brought against them, however they are not at current under arrest.
-- The woman Ky`faira, prostitution is not illegal in our lands, as I’m sure many of you are aware. However she is requested to report to the Meeting House or Brotherhood Barracks for questioning in regards to the potential charge of treason.
-- Aeryn and Jon Feul remain active members of the Brotherhood with Captain Aeryn organizing the Brotherhood with recent issues concerning our newest Captain’s validity and loyalty to our lands.
-- Dr. David D`Rael and those employees of his at the Remedium Edificium remain free of all charges and are applauded for their continued efforts over the years to keep us all alive and well.
-- Coran d`Zir and his fiancée Aislinn, should they read this, are requested to report to either the Meeting House or Brotherhood Barracks in regards to their involvement in any plots against the lands of Myrken Wood and her people, but have no charges reigned against them of yet.
-- Braddock Larose is currently requested to report to the Meeting House or Brotherhood Barracks for questioning regarding his brother’s involvement in treason. Magdalaena Valteri is wanted for murder and attempts to conspire against the Council of Myrken Wood and manipulation through threats of the death of Myrken Wood citizens.
-- Reviana Rin`vaire and Alligail Johnford Rin`aire remain utmost priority and should be taken in post haste by anyone identifying them. The girl Reviana Rin`vaire carries within her womb a threat to the entirety of the continent, not just our own land.

People of Myrken Wood, defend yourselves, be wary of the drow, but do not turn on eachother so recklessly. Our enemies seek to bring us against each other, to let us tear down our own defenses and leave us ripe for abuse at their hands. Do not succumb to the madness of paranoia, trust your friends, trust the guards, and trust us to continue to route out the real threats and deeper truths around us.

Written by our hands on this Sixteenth Day of July, 206,
Giscard Guillaume; Councilor of Trade and Commerce, Interim Governer
Suede Roschen; Councilor of Agriculture

This letter would be sent out in much the same haste as Helstone’s, arriving at all major buildings in Myrken Wood by the end of the day, being posted over the various pictures about town, and handed out to any citizen capable of reading.

Lothbury would receive a special notice with an annotion for Giscard himself which reads; ‘Invaded your office, sorry for the presumption, but quick action was a necessity.’

Throughout the day several other missives would be sent, one requesting an audience with Ariel O`Cynen, and a second to the current Captain of the Brotherhood for a similar request.

A second missive would reach the Captain of the Brotherhood later that day.

To the Captain of the Brotherhood of Janiero;

Good sir, enclosed is a list of members of the Brotherhood which I am sure you are familiar with, all members who are native Myrken Wood members. In order to allay the fears put forth by recent notes about town I am requesting that you adjust your ranks so that these men stand closer to the top and hold at least half the command positions in your unit.

I know this is presumptuous, but at current the people need every reason to trust those that guard them, and it is my opinion that such can be made more possible by knowning that their kin control the Brotherhood. For when people join en masse things must be simple and obvious in making their connections.

If you are entirely opposed to this idea I understand and rely your concerns to me so we may discover a better option.

Written by my hand on this Sixteenth day of July, 206;
Suede Roschen; Councilor of Agriculture

[Rattrap]

There was a strange, political chasm occuring in Myrken Wood. There was Helstone, who made many accusations and stirred many hates and mistrusts - and there was everybody else. Kind of. On this particular morning, what happened was a blow to both - one literally, and one figuratively.

Because a catapult destroyed Councilor Helstone's home. Before dawn, as a matter of fact - the siege weapon had hurled three or four large rocks before it was discovered by wary townfolk. But what they saw would shock them even more: there were Brotherhood guards operating the thing.

There was a mixture of reactions at that, and once the weapon was initially discovered - hiding away in fenced lot - the commotion that followed destroyed any further cover the operators enjoyed. The guards didn't seem like your usual run of the mill Brotherhood guards, either; these ones were mean. They responded to their discovery with violence, stabbing and shooting witnesses.

Shouts and screams went up about Helstone's accuracy from the survivors that fled. Thessaline really was the enemy. Their guard was simply a force to takeover Myrken Wood. Kerrak al'Nerun was the ultimate enemy. Helstone was right. Fight the Brotherhood. Etc.

When the sun had completely risen, there were three dead, burning - identities consumed by the flame - guardsmen and a burning catapult, as well as a handful of dead witnesses scattered about the area where they had ventured to peer over that stone fence. Word that the guard was trying to squelch Helstone would rage like wildfire; that there was evidence, too, if they reached it before the next patrol was certainly convincing this was more than another rumor. Not to mention the civilians shot to keep their cover.

Somewhere distant, Masaccio cleaned his blade and went about his business, leaving a Brotherhood uniform in his wake.

[Vanidor]

"Flamin' dirty mess this is, y'ken, Sarge?" This from one of the scouts, peering at the flaming wreck of a catapult and the bodies, burnt and thrashed, that littered the 'scape. A heavy breath came from the man he spoke too. He was a slender man, truth to tell, with wiry shoulders and arms that spoke of strength hidden in that compact frame. His Janerio-grey coat hung open, limpid in the slowly filtering wind that blew down the alley way. His men had cordoned off the area, dressed in tunics that your average workman would wear. They seemed like a work crew dispatched by the Council to clean things up. Their chaos-sewing foe weren't the only one's to play games of misdirection and deception.

That is, until Sergeant Rautha showed up, moving through the brick-a-brack unseen and then surveying the calamity. The man spoke again."What ya thinking we need t'do 'bout this, Sarge? Can' just leave it. Too many witnesses too. An' the flamin' bastards used our coats t'do it." The Sergeant was silent for another few moments. He was famous for those silences, just as he was for his skill at silence and tracking.

"I'll talk to Aeryn 'bout that bit. But 'ere, take this." Rautha tossed the man a ring, and then a small branding iron. The ring had a device of a snake, the iron was a serpent with a spear running through it. The scout trooper blinked several times in surprise, then glanced at Rautha. "Insignia of the Assassins of Jaheuss. Small sect, really, and I doubt anyone here really knows a damn thing 'bout 'em. But they specialise in sowing chaos for the the right cost. And they're also know for dying before giving up any information. Brand... That one, who's arm you can still see, with it. Slip the ring on another's finger, if you can find one. Roll it 'round in the ash to get it smokey. We'll try an' pass it off that way. Just hope they don't hear of this for a while... Now, go. We gots some cleanin' up to do."

With that, the scout trooper nodded and turned to do this grisley task, masking the actions as attempts to discover the idenity of the criminal who had done such a henious deed. Rautha himself pulled his Janerio-grey coat off and turned it inside out, the other side was a red apparently dulled by time. A bit of soot from a nearby post added shadow to his nose and eyes. By the time he slipped out of the cordon, with a half melted candelabra under his arm, many on lookers took him for a thief taking advantage of a calamity... and slipping out from under the noses of the Brotherhood, who had 'finally' arrived at the scene to try and take things into control...

[BrokenDreamer]

There was one factor missing in all of this. One element not found within the rubble that was once the building that Helstone's office could be found within.

There was no body of that most lovely guard, the one who has been a shadow to the councilor these past couple of months. There was no sign of her within the town, no word of her survival.