Act 2: Upheaval I - The Werewolf

"Elementals, Summoners, who knows. Whatever it is, they got friends on this side that managed to kill Shitbird the same night he was locked up. And how many people would have known about that to begin with?" - he trails off, then refocuses - "No wonder Tom and pals are so secretive. One misstep, and their whole operation could fall apart."

Then frowns.

"Fucking Edward may be endangering them for more than just having pissed us off."

Steve nods and thinks quietly before broaching the subject but decides to push on anyway. "About that. These guys are the good guys right? I'm not excusing their actions towards us or the crimes they've committed. But the Enemy is still the Enemy right? What will we do when we find them? We already know we need to take down Edward hard. And Anne is a white mage. She'll keep them all standing if she's a mind to. So how do we approach them?"

"We need to turn Anne away from them. That's what the modern art down on the Deck is meant to help with, if all the stars align." - he remarks, in self-deprecation - "Failing that - and it probably will - we find a way to show her the letters Edward's been getting. First we need to find her, though. If we can, i'll ask Femke to approach her. She shouldn't spook her like we would. After that..." - he frowns as he considers - "...i'm not sure."

"Yes, it's all coming into place now..." Konrad murmurs to himself.

"We'll put a stop their plans to usurp the position of First, that's what. It doesn't matter who they are or what their reasons are, no outsider can meddle in my nation's politics and expect to get away with it. Edward will fail, or he will die."

His focus intensifies on the ring.

Mihai ponders something - "It's more complicated than that. So far, Blackcliff's people have been doing their work in the quiet. If the Elementals realize there's a coordinated effort to stop them, there's no telling what they're liable to do, but one thing's for certain: There's a Green Mage around every corner."

"I don't know about that. They've been fighting for what? Two hundred years now? I think they know they both exist."

"Remember Jacob's letter to Vydorn, a year ago. We're not yet ready to reveal our existence to the enemy."

"I think they mean directly. You don't have to know the specifics to know people are foiling your plans or to start seeing patterns. Well, assuming they think anything like human beings. That could definitely be an issue I'm not considering."

Mihai considers that - "Maybe. Either way, there's too much we don't know. But one way or the other, crippling this power play on their part will certainly get their attention." - he frowns like someone trying to think through a bad situation, but then focuses.

"Still, we got a trump card." - he pulls the Orb from his pocket.

Kon shrugs. "It's not as though we need to announce our intentions to the world. Anne could help us find our friends, and once we have them, we can simply defeat Edward and his candidate in combat. As long as we outperform the competition and follow the rules, no one will get their way except us. After we have our friends and after we've secured victory for our chosen candidate for First, We can deal with Edward at our leisure - if he's still alive."

"Yeah, that's what I meant earlier. Do we really want to foil the plan? These guys are fighting a legitimate threat to everyone everywhere. You need to be prepared to help them if it comes to that Konrad. As much as I hate it we all do."

Mihai frowns in bewilderment - "What's the point of defeating Edward's candidate? Even if we knew that's his plan, why would we even want to do that? He's trying to keep Myr out of the hands of a monster that wants to kill us all." - he remarks.

"We get Anne, get Breeze, get Fedler back. If we manage to find them, and with any luck, we might be able to accomplish that without raising a blade. With any bad luck, we'll find ourselves forced to help Edward kill the enemy - and then beat the crap out of him till he gives us Fedler and Breeze back. Either way, facing him in the arena solves nothing."

Konrad grunts. "Hmph, we'll see. I still need to meet and greet this candidate myself before I throw in with him. And besides, Edward is a legitimate threat to us and me and mine. He'll have to jump that hurdle first if he wants me to leave him be."

Steve sighs. "That is the dilemma, isn't it? We'll really need to get the lay of the land before we act. I don't want to put our people or Myr in danger."

"I'm still here to save Fedler and Breeze. Whatever else we have to do, that's my first priority."

"Don't worry too much, I'll be your guide. You're all entering my world now, so I wouldn't fault you for hanging back and letting me do the talking. Just try not to keel over from the shock." He grins while he focuses on his weaving as though he were a madman.

"Looks like I'm finally making my homecoming. Even though I wanted to stay away, I have a feeling that this is going to be a veritable diversion."

6:33 AM, 4th of April 422
Odwaz, Myr

Map:

Odwaz is a sprawling city which has grown in chaotic manner over the last centuries.

The streets are serpentine lines that run through the city like wild animals, and no building looks the same; a one-story house can stand between two apartment buildings, and warehouses were expanded instead of rebuilt from the ground up. Usually at this time, there would be a few unconscious drunkards near the docks and kids poking at them with a stick, but the streets appear to be desert at the moment.

The Faculty, reputed to be the largest building in all the Archipelago, occupies the space of multiple city blocks. It houses the elementary school, the secondary school, a university, a military academy, the hospital, an underground library, and many more institutions. The City Hall used to be part of it, but it was moved into a separate building that was erected two decades ago for this exact purpose.

The Neighborhood is where the most well off citizens live, while every other respectable person lives in the Fringes. Anyone else who isn't so lucky has to contend with the Den. Shops, restaurants and brothels are spread out through the Market. Warehouses and factories are in the Wharf, which has direct access to the water.

A waterfront has been built along the shoreline, and there is a multitude of ships docked at the moment. The reason for this influx of visitors is surely because of the upcoming Tournament, which will be held at the Arena, a large edifice that was built by the Old Empire. It would usually be visible from the docks, but a thin fog has set in over the city.

The Vulcan has some difficulty finding an unoccupied pier, but Segel and his siblings quickly resolve this issue with the help of a dockworker gesturing at them where to moor. With the fog and the absence of daylight, an inexperienced crew would most likely have opted to wait for better conditions but Segel and his siblings barely seem bothered by it. Ropes are tied around the moorings and the Vulcan has now positioned itself between a schooner and a warship.

A middle-aged man wearing plain clothes approaches the ship with a clipboard and a pencil in his hands. He's probably the clerk who's representing the port authority. The sight of fairies laying down a gangplank amazes both him and the dockworker, but it doesn't hold their attention. Both of them glance nervously at the blanket of fog covering the street behind them.

Their hands instinctively reach for the swords they're wearing at their waist.

Mihai squints, trying to detect anything from within the fog.

Awareness 24

Mihai doesn't see anything out of the ordinary except the two nervous men.

"What's wrong?" - he asks the two men.

Konrad reaches for his own weapon, resting his hand on the hilt. "Captain Konrad Granger of the Vulcan, departed from Zest's Gate, affiliated with the Coins in Highwind. Unloading a shipment of cargo, and present for the full length of the tournament, and whatever ceremony follows. We may extend our visit afterward. What's with the fog, boys?"

Steve also looks behind the men into the fog, trying to see what they are so nervous about. He has his staff ready, but then that's almost always true given the nature of the weapon, lol.

Awareness: 18

When he doesn't see anything he says, "Yeah, why the nervous looks?"

The middle-aged man faces Konrad.

"Oh, right, right." His Myrzen accent is barely noticeable. He starts writing on his sheet of paper as fast as he can. When asked about why he and his colleague are so apprehensive, his hand slips and the pencil falls to the ground. He quickly picks it up to finish his work. "A monster," he replies. "A big furry... thing that hunts during the night. It killed 12 people already."

The dockworker's eyes are fixated on the horizon, expectantly waiting for the sun to come up. The clerk stops writing, hands over a receipt to Konrad and extends his hand towards him.

"Ten gold please," he says.

Femke is on the deck, listening to this exchange.

Konrad hands over the gold. "Oh, you're not from Odwaz, are you?"

Deception 18
Is he making it up?

Konrad:

"Lived here all my life," he responds as he pockets the money. "Good day to you."

The two men walk away with haste.