Dqstories7

Yeast on the Rise

Chapter Seven

Revenge, we have never before spent much time on revenge, but for some reason,

this Noble Lady, Victoria (that was the name of the wench that hired us to reclaim the

sword from the crypt of her long dead relative), really got under our skin. Maybe it was

just her aura, maybe we were getting too big for our britches, or just maybe we had

nothing better to do. Well, whatever the reason, we began to compile information on this

human, and begin a little character assassination campaign. We thought of a

straightforward assassination, but had no reason to kill her, she had kept to her word, and

didn’t appear to be outwardly evil. We hated her, nonetheless. Luckily we lived in a

tavern, so it wasn’t long before some real information about Victoria, penetrated our ale

sodden skulls.

This is what we learned in the month following our mission to gather the rag’s

rusty old weaponry. Long ago, in human terms anyway (about five generations),

Victoria’s great-something or another grandfather was the emperor of all the lands north

of the Mountains of Inder, to the Northern Sea. It does not make up a great deal of land

for an empire, but around here, where there are very few kingdoms, and none as large as

that, it would be an impressive nation, and yes the Horny Mug would be within this realm.

What has this got to do with the flea ridden hag you wonder? Well word has come to

Kael, that Victoria has become the dominant Noble in Mearlan, and is pumping her people

full of the idea of returning to the "Days of Past Glory". Normally we wouldn’t give a

damn about what noble was kicking (or for that matter, kissing) whose ass, but we were

certainly not interested in falling under the rule of this megalomaniac menstrual cycle with

a head.

What had originally been planned as a slow attempt to discredit one noble pain in

the ass, suddenly got pushed up a few notches in importance. It seemed she was building

up national pride quickly, in Mearlan, and squashing what little resistance had been

mounted. If things moved quickly, there could be war in Kael by the summer, or possibly

even worse, Kael throwing in with "Mighty Queen Victoria, Woman of few Virtues" The

news was very fresh, far fresher than any of the food we served, and a bit too fresh for

Kael to take action. We decided that time was not to be wasted, if we were to cut this

tramp down in her prime. We could just wait it out and see if she failed on her own, but

where’s the fun in that? Besides we wanted our revenge. She can’t just go around

damaging the pride of local adventurers without suffering the consequences.

Mobilization began quickly, we packed our stuff and headed for Mearlan, a five

days journey to the east. We left our griffons behind, in the care of a local beastmaster, ,

as they would surely draw undue attention, and this was not meant to be a full frontal

assault. Our plan was simple, we’d ride into town and insult her until she could take it no

longer and abdicate. Actually, our plan was a little more complex, we intended to assist

the resistance, if one existed, and create one if it didn’t. This is no simple task, but coming

from Elven Nobility, and practicing the skill of Courtesan did give some helpful insight.

We journeyed from village to village on the way, stopping at every tavern to gather any of

the latest gossip out of Mearlan, and ale to keep the orc sedated. We heard stories of the

"fine woman" speaking at many places with messages of "hope and goodness". When

questioned some of these local rump roasts regarding exactly what "hope and goodness"

her rule would provide, we were met with answers ranging from "Uh, I’m not really sure"

to "She’s gonna make things better, I’m sure of it". The only thing the commoners did

know, was that she intended to build a local military outpost in each town, for

"protection". It all sounded more like racketeering, than helping. The last thing that had

endangered these lands, were gnolls, and we took care of them. What the hell was a

military presence going to do, impose the law of a cruel and oppressive dictator? Now we

not only had our damaged prides on our side, it seemed like bringing her reign to a quick

fall would benefit the whole land.

We began practicing our strategy in earnest in the town of Pron. Pron is a town

about a days ride west of Mearlan, and well within Mearlan’s sphere of influence. Before

arriving at Pron, we decided that an Elf, a Dwarf, and an Orc, all traveling together might

remind some people of a certain party of adventurers, and we didn’t want word of our

presence getting back to the bitch. Therefore, we decided to split up, I would proceed on

my own, while Bud and Glug would stay together. This way I could act without worry of

two morons messing my plans up, and Bud could keep Glug out of the local jail.

I checked into the tavern on the east of Pron, while Bud and Glug were to arrive a

few hours later and check into the tavern on the west of town. I was to maintain a pro-

Victoria attitude, while questioning local merchants as to the affects that the new ruler

would have on my potential "Elven craftworks" trade business. The two granite heads

were to mingle among the dirty class of people, ie. blacksmiths, stable cleaners, and the

like, and insult Victoria in an obvious anti-Victoria attitude. With this method, I was to

determine, who among the wealthy were supporting the new "queen", and who among the

wealthy only appeared to be supporting her. The kegs with legs were basically weighing

the opinions of the common folk, and to see if there was a resistance forming within the

lower ranks. At the end of the day, I was to find them at their tavern, and let them know

whether to stay in Pron or proceed to Mearlan.

I spent the day questioning the local merchants about tariffs, and how the new

rulership had affected local trade. I was able to drum up only one merchant that seemed

to be non-supportive of Victoria. He was a local rug merchant, and maintained a neutral

tone, with regard to Victoria. He did, however, give me the names of a few of his friends,

in Mearlan, who might be interested in selling my "Elven craftworks". No I didn’t actually

have any "Elven Craftworks", as all my samples had been purchased from me on my way

through Kael. Or at least that was my story. One name in particular that he gave me,

Johal, seemed a likely candidate for resisting the new rulership in Mearlan.

Meanwhile, Tweedle Hairy Ass and Tweedle Sloping Skull, went around town

picking fights as they went, it seems that almost all the commoners were enamored with

the vile wench and her "message". If a resistance existed among the commoners, it was

well hidden. I entered the tavern in which my companions were staying, around the

planned dinner time, only to see that they had gotten a head start, and Glug was already

under the table. We pretended not to know each other, and I opened my typical line of

questioning to Bud, as though he were a local merchant. "Excuse me sir, but do you

know Johal, the Dwarven rug merchant in Mearlan?".

"Uh,...Uh,...Yeah!"

"I hear he may be interested in selling some of my Elven craftworks. What do you

think?"

"Uh,...Uh,...Yeah, yeah, he might."

"Well I plan on heading that way tomorrow, got any advice?"

"Grunt", Glug, from under the table.

"That Victoria’s a real bitch." Responds Bud in his typical Dwarven grace.

"Now that’s no way to talk of a lady" I retort in mock horror. "She’s a fine

woman, doing good for this land."

"Yeah whatever you say" and then under his breath, "Damn elf."

After that I ignored the gruesome pair and quickly finished my meal.

The next day we met up on the road, and compared notes. We decided to split up

again, but check into one of the larger inns. We needed to be in the same inn, as finding

each other in Mearlan would be quite a bit more difficult if we were separated. Again I

went ahead and checked into an inn. A few hours later my to companions came traipsing

inn. We avoided any contact while in the common room, but met up in our rooms to

discuss plans. I would visit a few of the local merchants, namely Johal, while Bud would

wander the streets and attempt to find out when next Lady Victoria would speak. We

decided that being openly negative or hostile towards Victoria could be dangerous, so the

meat heads dropped the "what’s with this new bitch?" routine. Glug, we decided, would

be better suited to laying low in the Inn until nightfall, and then cruise the city looking for

action.

I started with Johal, and spent a good deal of time discussing my merchandise and

other business crap, the whole time, skirting around the issue of Victoria. I was able to

gather that he was being very cautious in expressing his opinions of her, though I gathered

they were not positive. He seemed almost fearful at times, which leads me to believe that

speaking out against Victoria could in fact be dangerous. Other merchants I visited

seemed to be less fruitful, so I decided to head toward the castle and get a look. The

castle in which Victoria stays, is on an island within the harbor, the only way to reach it is

via a 150’ causeway. On the shore side of the causeway were several buildings belonging

to her court. I found the offices of the Trade Minister, and attempted to get an audience

with the Minister. His assistant took my name and place I was staying, and pretended to

act interested. I was sure, I would never hear back from these maggots.

Bud on the other hand found out that the Lady was out of town, and would be

arriving back that night. He also found out that the army was recruiting. Deciding that he

would gather some more info, and get a closer look at the castle, Bud went into the tent to

was accepted into the mercenary detachment as a sergeant. The pay was pretty good for a

peacetime nation. In fact peacetime nations very rarely maintained mercenary

detachments. A few pointed questions, and Bud was able to determine that the army

appeared to be building up for some sort of military initiative. Deciding that he was in an

excellent location to gather more news, Bud decided to stay in the army, at least for the

time being, and report back to Glug and Strongbow during his evenings. It also gave him

a chance to hone his military scientist skills.

The day was coming to a close, so I returned to the Inn and woke Glug, and told

him what I’d discovered during the day. We waited for Bud, and he soon came walking

in. We almost peed in our pants, well actually, Glug did, when he told us he’d joined the

army. We decided to send Glug out to put a trace on Johal. Bud went back to the

barracks, and I had a few tankards of mead before calling it a night.

Glug went to the merchant Johal’s shop, and waited in an alley watching. His

cloak of chameleon assisted in going unnoticed. Johal soon emerged from his store and

headed up the street. Glug tailed him to a residential area, where entered a house. Glug

again camped in an alley and watched the house. A few hours later, and all the candles

were snuffed. Sometime after midnight, Glug decided that there was nothing going on

inside the house, so he returned back to the Inn, having gained no information on his

mission.

Bud, on the other hand, did pick up a peculiar clue after returning to the barracks.

A low level soldier was in his room stitching insignia onto his new uniform. While Bud

had his head buried in his foot locker, another soldier passed by the room and asked the

"seamstress" if he was going on "sweeps" tonight. The soldier with the needle said he

wasn’t, and the other soldier was off down the hall before Bud got a look at him.

Bud, his curiosity raised, "What the hell, we sweep the floors around here?"

"No sarge, nothing like that" responded the sewing soldier.

"Well then what the hell is sweeps?"

"I can’t answer that, you’re gonna have to ask the lieutenant."

Bud left it at that, not wanting to push too much on his first day. Tomorrow he

would find out what the hell "sweeps" was.

The next day, Bud was introduced to his platoon. After a cursory inspection and a

"get to know the scurvy bums" session, Bud excused them all except the corporal. Once

alone, he grilled the corporal about "sweeps". At first, the corporal was hesitant to speak,

but after Bud promised him that his lips were sealed, and that if he didn’t speak, his life

would be hell, he spilled his guts. Bud was told that sweeps was the nightly sweep of

dissidents and resistance to Victoria. The corporal had only been involved in one sweep,

in which he and some other of the mercenaries, had surrounded a building in the middle of

the night, and stormed in to find several men in some late night planning session. They

held the conspirators until the captain showed up, at which point, they were told to leave

the building. The Captain remained inside, and they were soon relieved by some other

guards. What happened to the conspirators, the corporal had no idea. Bud found this

information very interesting, and took the soonest opportunity to tell the others.

I was shocked the next morning when I received an invitation to meet with the

Minister of Trade. I dressed in my Sunday best and went to meet the official. I was

ushered into the office of the Trade Minister, and met this relatively unimpressive human.

He immediately began discussion on opening trading between Mearlan and Rubor. In fact

he was very interested in finding out what I could bring to Mearlan in the way of weapons

and armor, and if I knew if there were any Elven archer attachments for hire. I played

along, and discussed numbers of arrows, how many per month he wanted, and what other

weapons and armor I could deliver from Rubor. He also wanted to hire Elven bowyers

and fletchers to add to his military force. I told him that the first vessel could leave within

the week, and that it would take about a month for the first shipment of arms to return. I

also told him that I would have to discuss the finer details with my bookkeeper to ensure

that I could deliver what he wanted. He seemed very pleased, and I invited him out for

dinner, asking what the finest restaurant in the city was, and agreeing to meet him there

with more details. We shook hands and I left, heading back for the Inn, hopefully Bud

would show up, so I could run a few of the numbers by him.

Bud arrived at the Inn not long after I, for he was in a rush to discuss what he had

discovered, as well as I. His news made us realize that there was indeed resistance to

Victoria’s quick rise in power, and that she seemed to be doing it by force. After hearing

about the numbers of arms that the Trade Minister wanted to purchase, Bud was

convinced, that Victoria was preparing to mount a military campaign. The minister’s

interest in purchasing these arms from an outside source also indicated that a strike against

neighboring countries was in the works. It sounded like they were going to go on the

initiative by midsummer, if not sooner. We definitely had to do something, an outright

assassination seemed like it might be difficult, given the fact that Victoria’s castle was well

guarded, and her schedule rather chaotic. We would try in earnest to find some fellow

conspirators and aid in the resistance.

That night I had dinner with the Minister of Trade. He brought an assistant with

him, and we further discussed the number of arms and such. I changed some of the

number on the amount of arrows that I could deliver, based on information from Bud, and

further refined some of the other details. By the end of the meal, the deal was struck, and

I was now an international arms merchant. Of course little did they know, that I had no

intention of delivering arms to support Victoria, but the possibility of large profits was

tempting. I could haul in, over the course of this summer, ten times what the Horny Mug

makes in a year. If we weren’t still sitting on the better portion of our share of a dragon

hoard, I’m not sure if I would have been able to resist. We finished up dinner and parted

ways, I had inked my false signature on a contract with the minister, and headed back to

the Inn.

That night I sent Glug back to Johal’s house, with instructions to stay all night, and

only leave if he spotted something else of real interest. Glug went out the door, hopefully

for a good long time, as his odor, when trapped in the confines of my room, was almost

unbearable. The next morning Glug woke me up to tell me that he had hit pay dirt. Johal

had left his house around 2 am and went to another part of town, near the south wall of

the city. In case you didn’t know, Mearlan has been closing the gates to the city since

Victoria took over. He entered a house, and after about fifteen minutes, all lights were

extinguished. Glug went closer to the house, and discovered that it appeared to be empty.

He picked the lock and went inside. He then discovered a trap door in one of the rooms.

He lifted the tap door and went down a ladder to a tunnel heading toward the wall. He

traveled the length of it, a distance, that he estimated to be a good deal beyond the outside

of the wall. It ended with another ladder going up with a trap door above. He heard the

sounds of a sentry beyond the door, so he decided to head back, taking note of just how

far and in which direction the tunnel went. He exited the house, relocked the door, and

again made note of the surroundings and nearby city wall. He picked a spot across the

street from the house and waited. About an hour later Johal and three others emerged

from the house and headed their separate ways. That’s when Glug decided that he’d seen

enough to report back at the Inn, besides the faint lightening of dawn was just beginning.

I awoke to Glug’s ramblings about a tunnel and other crap, and finally got him to

slow down enough so that I could understand him. It was good news, we finally had

something we could sink our teeth into. Meanwhile Bud was getting up at the crack of

dawn to drill his troops in the most hard assed of military fashions. I sent Glug to bed,

and told him that we would go outside the city later, and find out where the tunnel

egressed. I went down to the docks, to charter a ship for the arms runs between Rubor

and Mearlan. I still had no intention of doing it, but I had to keep up appearances in case

the Minister had someone checking up on me. I was able to find an available ship, and

chartered it to leave in a week. Hopefully, we would be done with our business by then, if

not I’d think of something. I also requested to meet with Victoria at the castle, but was

sent away with the impression that that wouldn’t happen in a million years. I of course

had no desire to meet with her, as I would be immediately recognized.

I went back to the Inn, early in the afternoon, and woke Glug’s sorry ass up. I

dragged him out of bed, and we went to the house with the tunnel, and then headed out

the city gates to try and find the other end of the tunnel. We ended up in a wooded area, a

good distance from the main road. There were only a few farms in the area, and no

buildings at all near where the tunnel exit should be. We began searching the area for

wide trees that could be used as entrances, and eventually found a large tree stump that fit

the description, and was within the right area. We searched it and found the trap door

opening. Of course we had no idea where the conspirators had gone from here. I tried to

find some tracks, but couldn’t find anything. We decided to come back tonight, and stake

the trunk out.

We returned to the Inn, met Bud and discussed what we had found. He had

learned nothing new, but he was nearly glowing with happiness, as a few of his men

already hated him. Glug and I checked into an inn on the outside of the wall, so we could

get access to the tree trunk at night. Bud returned to the barracks for some light drinking

and sadism. Glug and I headed out after nightfall, I brought my glaive and dagger, Glug

his battle axe and dagger, neither of us wore armor. We figured that we could leave the

big weapons on the ground or outside the building, if we entered one, thereby avoiding

scaring the conspirators too much. We picked a spot some distance from the stump,

where we could observe it, without being seen. I lay down to sleep, while Glug stayed up.

The night passed uneventfully. Tomorrow night I’ll bring a blanket.

We lay low the entire day Bud dropped by, but had nothing to report. Glug and I

just waited until the night, so we could go out camping again. The sun fell, as it seems to

do every day, no matter how hard I try to not let it, and we grabbed our stuff, including a

blanket, and headed for the woods.

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