A missive to those Councilmembers who aren't quite dead yet.

[Suede]

I, Suede Roschen, Local Tailor extra-ordinaire, Acting Councillor of Agriculture, Councillor of Administrative Sanctions, Possibly the only Councilman not dead, to His Honour Altias Bromn, Governor of Myrken Wood, apparently not dead yet, if incapacitated; to His Honour Giscard Guillimane, the Councilor of Trade and Associated functions, quite possibly dead; to His Honour Kerrak al'Nerun, the Councilor of Defence and Civil Security, this one is alive we think; to Thomas Daniels, Captain of the Myrken Wood Guard, Order of Straka, he's not dead yet either;

I write this letter concerning the current state of the Council, which I am beginning to wonder of the general health of. I have had recent conversations with the fairy formerly playing at being our Councillor of Administrative Sanctions. He has admitted quite willingly to posing as a government official, and also is attempting to claim a large portion of our lands as his own. He claims that deals concerning this were made some time ago, but our records show no such thing. But I disgress, such is best left to the council chamber if any of you actually receive this.

The primary reason for my addressing you all through this letter is the fact that 'Councillor Treadwell's' post had stood empty. As, for the course of his state of lacking presence, I had been operating as acting Administrative Sanctions Councilman, and that attempting to contact you all has proven difficult, I have taken up the position in full to operate as well as Agricultural councillor. It is a hefty burden, but one I am very willing to bear to ensure the survival and blossoming of our floundering little region.

Should for some reason this prove an issue, I will gladly hand over my Agricultural post to someone that is proven to be more capable. I would prefer to continue in Treadwell's post with my better knowledge of coin and business than raising a farm.

Do be well, each of you.

[Rattrap]

Captain Thomas Daniels read the missive from the councilor with a frown. It was a rather unauthorized shift of power, and considering what he was proposing to switch to, alarming. The captain put down the letter, staring off at the walls of his office. There wasn't much he could do to stop the councilor, however; especially what with the rest of the council off on their crusades.

Except Giscard. But...

The captain's eyes widened with surprise. A sudden epiphany had come to him, and his gaze shot back to the letter. The curves, the arches, the dashes - the writing was familiar to him, from farther back than Suede's time as a councilor.

At once, he left his office and marched into Lieutenant Kilborn's.

When the captain emerged, the letter was now accompanied by a few others, though these were not much more than notes. Thomas caught a passing guardsman and stopped him:

"Sergeant, grab a few men and find Councilor Roschen immediately."

"...what for, sir?"

"Place him under house arrest. I want him detained, somewhere. I'm not quite ready to throw him in the Gaol yet."

"Yes, sir!"

"...and sergeant, if a female drow tries to interfere or come in contact with the councilor, arrest her."

Captain Daniels pondered the fallout that would come from this, but with this he was satisfied. He had proof, if not much of it - even if it were not enough or he were unable to find sufficiently enough to put the councilor away, it should be enough for the rest of the councilors to eject him from the council.

If nothing else, matters can at least be delayed until the rest of the council returns. If they do...

[Rattrap]

Captain Thomas Daniels arrived at the Order of Straka Barracks with a frown, which wasn't unusual these days. The normal flurry of guard activity continued around him, some stopping to take note of his sour expression. It wouldn't be for long, though.

He grabbed Sergeant Hickensen coming down the hall toward his office. "Sergeant, find Private Masaccio."

Hickensen nodded, stood in thought, and turned around heading back the direction he came. Daniels continued to his office. His visit to the tavern reminded him of the individual he was trying to take down, and that precautions needed to be taken. Straka security had been breached, certainly, on a number of occasions - he and Lieutenant Kilborn had caught a good deal of it in the act.

He pondered, though. Councilor Roschen would have no idea what he's being charged with unless it came out of Straka, though that wasn't impossible. Quite a few members knew of the Captain's case, and the solitary piece of concrete evidence that everything else was based off of. That was the key.

Thomas pulled the note from his desk, now kept in an oversized envelope for its protection. He'd collected a couple samples of the same material the note was written on for age contrast, in case the councilor tried to debate it had been written by him. The captain even had one of his scribes copy the letter, so the council could see what a forgery looked like.

More so, he'd discovered the two guardsmen who were on duty at the time Suede had delivered the note, both of whom realized that the individual did indeed look just like the councilor, though they wouldn't even have thought about it before. More evidence. Evidence of what, though? What was there to charge him with, specifically?

During the last big trial, the council had decided that crimes could be ruled by association. By this, Suede was guilty of much. If they ignored this, they invalidated themselves - either way gave more fuel for the Captain's fire.

At any rate, Daniels wasn't about to trust the security of the building for this matter. After all, he'd lost his arm from an assassin who attacked him in this very office. The Barracks was far from impregnable.

Masaccio appeared in the half-open doorway, an unquestioning look leveled on the captain. "Sir," he announced, simply.

"Private. I want you to take this note and keep it safe, at whatever cost. It needs to remain in our hands and intact until the council next meets. We're done with it here."

Masaccio nodded, stepping forward to take the envelope. It quickly disappeared underneath his Straka uniform. "Dismissed." The private nodded and left.

What else was there? Daniels went through the list, but decided against safeguarding anything else. This was under a degree of paranoia, to be sure, but Thomas really had no idea if Suede would actually pull anything, or if he would simply run. Or even turn himself in. The rest of the files on the matter were either in Kilborn's office or his.

Daniels sighed, and stopped frowning. No smiling, but the frown disappeared for a moment, at least. No one but the individuals involved would know who the captain had lined up for to fill in the spots on the council, but this wasn't due to any safe keeping on the captain's part - he simply hadn't written anything done. It didn't matter much, anyway. Both of them would be highly favored by the council, and even Councilor Roschen would have a hard time finding ill things to say of them. "Dear Myrken Wood. Have I repaid my debt, yet? Will I ever?"

Captain Thomas Daniels sat at his desk, looking distantly at nothing with a sigh. The light faded, and the next act would soon begin.

[Suede]

Interestingly enough, when Captain Daniels next returns to his office he'll find a decree from the council on his desk within an envelope addressed to him. One of the members of the order will have likely left it there for him upon its arrival. It was a simple piece of white paper, but the fact was it seemed somewhat forboding.

When he'd open it he'd find a new budget for Straka within, marked with the Council Seal and dated several weeks ago. It essentially states that Straka's funding was being cut by 20% due to recent tax cuts and monetary losses to the district due to the poor weather of the summer.

[Rattrap]

The Captain's initial reaction to the note was a flawless frown, but then there came a sudden spark, and Thomas actually smiled at the note. Yet more fuel for the fire - one way or the other. "Well, Councilor Roschen, at this rate, I'll have enough irate Straka guardsmen who'll be happy to run you through, council decreeing it or not."

Thomas took the note and called together everybody he could find, and rest assured, by the next rising sun, the better part of the Order of Straka would have a new villain in their lives. 20% was huge; that meant jobless men and women. It would quickly become even more dangerous for Councilor Roschen.

As for the captain? He'd give up his salary until things could be righted, of course. Thomas would take the very bare minimum to survive, and instill trust in the men and women of Straka. Just as much as the council was losing it. But the captain had been doing that from the start; though most had initially been weary of Thomas, having been promoted from so low a rank, he has shown himself a fine captain - just as Kanashia and Taliaferro before him. And many were getting aboslutely sick of the politics, just as the captain and lieutenants were.

This time, Captain Thomas Daniels would not allow the council a throw-away trial. This time, justice would be served. If they are not careful, the council will be powerless to stop it.

[Vanidor]

What would be most interesting indeed, was another package delivered to the guard house. The seal of the Councilor of Defence and Civil Security was attached to it, and it was nominally addressed to Captain Tomas Daniels. Barring that, it was to be delvered to any of the Lieutenants currently in the building.

Of course, the parcel (which was quite heavy), had a note attached. The note read thusly:

Captain, I think it best to write this without much ado. I find that politics and the language of such can be... tedious. To that end, I want to speak with you about what is going on in our home. Whenever you are available for such, send someone to my office and we can arrange a meeting. I think there are many topics we can speak about, and truthfully, it is long over due. I have been remiss there.

One other thing. I heard about this... reduction in funds for Straka. You know I worked to get your funds increased, so this is something that irks me. I will speak with our erstwhile councilor on this when I get the chance. Please, accept this little bit of coin. I do not care what you tell your men about it, but I would prefer to see them paid and well equiped, than out on the street looking for work. Even if it ends up biting me in the tail. The security of the township, and province, is more important than either of us.

Kerrak

The contents of the parcel? A hundred gold of Thessilaneian weight. One would consider that to be more than enough in the Myrken Shilling to keep Straka in line for at least the next month. Hopefully that would be long enough to settle the issues at work here...

[Guillaume]

I, Giscard Guillaume, Lord of Lothbury Estate, Councilor of the Myrken Wood Judiciary In Regards To Commerce and Trade Etc., to His Honour Altias Bromn, Governor of Myrken Wood; to His Honour Suede Roschen, the Councilor of Agriculture; to His Honour Kerrak al'Nerun, the Councilor of Defence and Civil Security; to Thomas Daniels, Captain of the Myrken Wood Guard, Order of Straka: Greetings.


I wish first, of course, to offer my condolences to our good Governor upon his recent ailments. The One God shall surely see to their easing, and if He does not, our fine physicians certainly will. Be assured that we are glad of your return.

Secondly, the Council is surely owed an apology for my recent absence, which has been both lengthy and unexplained. The most of those reasons will remain my own, save that I assure you that my death did not number amongst them. To explain in part, however, and to detail the good news that is the foremost function of this missive:

Several weeks of extensive negotiation have secured us a quantity of grain and goods from our neighbours to the far west -- and richly-needed they are, for reasons that O'Cynen could have explained far better than I, but that even a fool can begin to grasp. You have seen the state of our fields. Perhaps you have even spoken with the men who tend them. I need say no more. Should the roads and weather hold, we expect the first caravans to arrive within the coming week. You will understand the need for slow travel, I am sure; Devil Ridge has earned its name, over the centuries.

It is this pleasant news with which I will close this letter, and a hope that sir Roschen will not be swayed from the position in which he has served for so long, and with such excellence. Taxmen may be found on any street of Myrkentown, but agriculturalists are surely worth their weight in golden grain.


Done by my hand at the Estates of Lothbury, this 7th day of December,
Giscard Guillaume.