Act 2: Upheaval I - The Werewolf

The party decides to go visit the City Hall, where they hope to gather more information about the recent victims.

It's a little over 3 o'clock when they reach their destination. On their way there, they noticed that the layout of the streets changed; the streets became straight lines and the blocks weren't a jumble of different types of buildings. This part of Odwaz had evidently been planned by city engineers.

As for the City Hall itself, it was a large three-stories edifice that spanned a few blocks. It was nothing compared to the Faculty, but it was obviously built to accommodate more than just the city's bureaucracy. As the party members walk towards the entrance, they pass by a few tourists and Myrzens who are sitting on the benches placed alongside the walkway, or having a picnic under the trees. There's even a couple of carbuncles playing with each other on the grass, which fascinates a few toddlers who are nearby.

Florolf observes them, but just for a moment.

Once the party enters the building, they find themselves in a large entrance hall. There is a woman sitting behind the desk of the reception. She glances at the party member and their carbuncle but waits for them to approach her. There is no waiting area; probably because of the sign placed against the wall behind her.

Directions, it says.

Mihai approaches the desk and greets in Wyrtwaly - "Hello, ma'am. We're looking for information on a few people who recently passed away. Could you point us the right way, please?"

The receptionist lets go of her pencil and puts on her best smile.

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand," she replies in Wyrtwaly. "You need information about citizens who've recently passed away?"

"Yes ma'am, in the last few days. They..." - he tries to be tactful - "...were killed in the recent string of attacks that have been occurring.."

"I see," the woman responds, her smile receding. "The Social Numbers Registry might give you some info, as long as you have the documents that prove that you are related to them."

She pauses and looks at the weapons the party members wear.

"...Or you might want to speak to the Administrator."

The suggestion strikes Mihai as odd at first, but he quickly puts two and two together - "We'll take you up on that offer, thank you."

"Ms. Zawistowski's office is on the third floor. Take these stairs," she gestures at the set of stairs on her left, "and once you're at the top, go left and walk down the hallway until you reach the end."

"Thank you." - Mihai nods and walks off

Steve tips his hat to the lady in thanks and follows Mihai. When he judges they are out of earshot of the lady they were talking to he says, "I remember reading about how the government of this city works back during my school days.

The Administrator is the one who mostly calls the shots in Odwaz, but she answers to all 14 szefowie. She needs their permission for almost everything, even the annual budget, but the First can smooth the approval process by calling the szefowie together. In addition the commander of the Defenders is selected by the First and then confirmed by the szefowie, which means the commander doesn't answer to the Administrator. You add the fact that the Faculty is a conjoint effort between all 14 clans, and you've got a bureaucratic nightmare. The city is basically ungovernable in the traditional sense, a victim of it's own importance to the nation of Myr.

But anyway, that's a long-winded way of saying we might be able to find an ally here if we play our cards right. She'll want this handled and may not care if we go behind the backs of the Defenders to do so."

"Either we will, or the lady back there really hates her boss."

Konrad nods along as he gets a thorough lesson from his partner. "Mmhmm. That explains the madame's frustration, no doubt inflamed because the clan leaders are in some serious talks about the situation, or situations, plural. So let it be. It is better this way than for the executive power to become focused at the expense of any one clan. One city's whims in exchange for the autonomy of all the clans provides us time to bide."

"I hope that lady gets paid a lot," Amber comments.
___________

While one of the party members briefs Amber on what was said earlier, the party climbs up the stairs. There are many people walking around with folders in their hands, some of them on their way to important meetings. Following the receptionist's directions, the party quickly find their way to Ms. Zawistowski's office.

However, they must go through two sets of doors to talk to her. The room beyond the first door serves as a waiting area and an office for the administrator's assistant. A woman in her thirties wearing a pant suit sits at the desk, and before the party came in, she was sorting through piles of documents. She's the only person in the room at the moment.

"Yes?" she says in Imperial. "Can I help you?"

Mihai approaches the desk - "Hello. We're with the Coins, here about the recent string of attacks in the City. The lady downstairs suggested we speak to Ms. Zawistowski."

The woman examines the four party members and is somewhat confused by the presence of Amber and the carbuncle.

"Yo," the teenager says while waving her hand at the assistant.

"Hello," she replies before turning her attention back to the adults. "Ms. Zawistowski isn't available today."

She then looks at the sword Mihai is carrying on his back.

"...May I ask what this is about?"

"Like i said, the recent string of attacks in the city. We're trying to track down the perpetrator, and came here hoping to get some information."

Konrad:

"I'm sorry, but the Administrator isn't receiving any visitors today. If you give me your names, I could-"

As the assistant says this, the party can hear the fast-paced sound of footsteps coming from Zawistowski's office. The door flings open, revealing the woman herself, her brown eyes darted at the party members. She dons a black pant suit with a white shirt underneath her jacket and wears her shoulder-length auburn hair loose. Wrinkles have begun to crop up on her face; she must be in her late forties, maybe her early fifties.

"You," she says with a biting tone in Imperial. "In my office, now."

She turns back and returns to her desk, leaving the door wide open. The assistant is stunned. After a short moment, she turns to face the group again and whispers, "Good luck."

Mihai nods at the well-wishing, and walks to the office.

A curious Steve follows Mihai into the office.

Konrad is caught off guard when the door swings open. He balks at the sudden terse greeting from the administrator, for the intense, yet cold invitation mandated to the group. The short shock vanishes, however, and he steels himself as he strides through the doorway, ready as an unnerved child accustomed to a swat on the butt would be when caught, again. He had faced the fire of woman's ire before.

The walls of the Administrator's office are covered with shelves and filings cabinets. There are only two windows in this room, but they offer a nice view of Odwaz, the Arena being the major landmark. Ms. Zawistowski's desk is just like her assistant's; clogged with piles of documents, all subjugated to the Administrator's chaotic sense of order.

She unceremoniously sits down and puts her two feet on her desk before leaning back in her chair. There are two other chairs, usually reserved for visitors. Seizing her chance, Amber sits in one of them. Florolf follows her, stares at Mihai for a second, and then sits down in the other chair. He then happily wags his tail.

"Why are you here?" Zawistowski inquires. "And make it short."

She stares at the party members.

"We're hunting down the Werewolf that's been killing people for three nights in a row. Came here hoping to get information."

Konrad allows his Myrzen accent to come through in his Imperial, but that is the extent to which he affects his speech, and he shortens his usual mannerisms to avoid pontificating needlessly. "We came to obtain permission to make inquiries into the records of the vics, and to offer our help, if you'll have it."

The woman stays silent for a few seconds, her eyes fixated on the party.

"Why are you hunting the werewolf?" she asks.

This question momentarily catches Konrad off guard. Then he comes back emboldened with involuntary indignation at the implied notion that he were looking into this matter for any other reason.

"Because it is a vile cretinous horror," he proclaims with passion and zeal. "Because this disgusting clot of matted fur shuffling along in the form of a man has the audacity to clamp its jaws around my fellow clansmen. to halt the tournament and lock my clan leader in a sunless cage beneath the sand, and halt the election of a new First! Because I want to see the creature's head mounted upon the prow of my ship, where it will rot as it gazes skyward for its brazen interference."