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Conspiracy

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Character  Danieh'le Dahl'ArakCharacter  Xuunera Lo'KeeLocation  Aiers

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Deciphering codes is hard by Shabazik

“General?!” said Captain Lo’Kee surprised, as she opened the door of the office in the Slave Market.

“Close the door dear” said with a soft tone of voice General Dahl’Arak without looking at her subordinate, as she looked with attention a map of the city of Negeémiliel.

The surprised Captain Xuunera Lo’Kee nodded, closing the door behind her. She was told to meet one of the Agents of General Dahl’Arak that will come from the surface with new orders in one of the private offices of the slave market, where normally privately slave dealers and customers could make business in a less sordid way that in the Slave Auctions.

To not drag too much attention, she used some plain, everyday clothes rather than the ones of her rank, and as well, her guards where in civilian clothes.

Ever since the General defeated the Hebonnor mountain elves, more and more prisoners of the war were arriving at the city to be sold as slaves: the nobles normally paid ransoms: but the foot soldiers couldn’t, so these prisoners where either slain or enslaved. Enslaved was a much more elf thing to do, everybody agreed, being less bloody, and the extra working hands where needed.

However, rather than the slave markets with surface slaves, the last days, the markets with much more movement where the grain markets: despise the victory against the Mountain Elves, still the arrival of grains was minimal.

It wasn’t the first time she had to contact one of the agents of Dahl’Arak in the slave market, being often the slavers really officers or couriers of the General, posing as meat dealers.

“General Dahl’Arak?” repeated surprised Xuunera, as she walked by the table, where General Dahl’Arak was looking at the map. “It’s a surprise to find you in the city!” finally Lo’Kee said.

“I’m not in the city. I’m in the surface with my armies, too entertained with the King of the Mountain elves trying to get a little prince in my own, to care for politics. Or that’s it, as far everybody knows. And we better leave it that way” the General said.

“Yes ma’am”.

“Now, about your disguise: if you don’t want to be recognized, you need to cover that horse face of you, or everybody will know from miles away you are from the Lo’Kee house. You know what a horse is, right?”

“Yes ma’am, I know what is a horse… And I wasn’t disguised, but only wanted to pick something a bit more conspicuous that my uniform.

But if is a secret you are in the city my General… is wise to wear the headband of the Dahl’Arak house?”

“Oh, you are right, but I didn’t come here with the headband! To this slave market, arrived a really small mountain elf, and will leave a foreign drow slaver. No one will see me. And the headband? Well… I ordered a young servant of my house to bring me a dress for the change of clothes.”

“I choose the dress!” said a young drow slave boy, that Xuunera hadn’t noticed before. “It’s pretty! And as well, I borrowed my headband to the mistress for the Moment! The Mistress needed a headband!” said the boy with a smile.

“yes dear, is a lovely headband” said General Dahl’Arak smiling to the drowling. “Now Lo’Kee, we have business.” She said, turning to her subordinate.

“Yes Ma’am!”

“In you last message, I collected that you where successful in seizing some documents from the High Sorceress of the Temple of Doom, Selene, right?”

“Yes Ma’am. An agent I personally choose for your service was the one who completed that mission. Not many could have done it, but I’m really good judging characters, and when a mission need to be done, I know how to get it done…”

“Xuunera.”

“General?”

“Shut up. I don’t care how you did it, but that you get it done. This whole business is your chance to show your worthiness and atone for your past failures. So instead of praising yourself, give me results. If it wasn’t that most of my officers where send with me to fight the Hebonnor, I wouldn’t have picked you from this vital mission.”

“Yes ma’am. What I mean, is that we successfully take some documents from the High Sorceress Selene of the Temple of Doom, and later your daughter Laeh’le deciphered them.”

“So: where they really important, or are you testing my patience? What said these documents? Do we know about the conspiracy of the Populists? What is their plan? When will they do their move?”

“Sorry ma’am. Well, the documents where a list the High Sorceress had keep with all the persons and institutions who have been receiving grain”

“… All of this, for that?”

“Please leave me continue General” hurried Xuunera. “The High Sorceress noted all the lists of the persons who received grain from the Temple of Doom under her command: This is the grain they used to fund the Cult of the Flower, who used this grain to gain power and a growing influence in the commoners of Negeémiliel. As well, in these documents is written to other institutions and citizens who had been receiving grains, either as payment or to storage food reserves for later, or to feed garrison of forces.

Finally, there is written who donated grain to the Temple of Doom.

This mean, while we don’t know for sure their plans or conspiracy from these lists, we now can proof with them that, first of all, there exist a secret relation between the Cult of the Flower and the High Sorceress Selene. This can be enough to be presented to the Lowe chamber of the Council.”

“If it wasn’t that much of the seats are occupied by members of the populist faction” said Dahl’Arak.

“Which bring us to other point, why these lists can be useful. From them, we know who the High Sorceress have been paying in grain: if we cross the references with the lists of the most important women of the Populist Faction, we will see most names coincide.”

“The costs of treason” nodded Danieh’le Dahl’Arak.

“A final use is that, calculating the amount of grain destined for garrisons, we can make an approximation of how many forces the Populists had foreseen to gather, between populist acolytes and the fanatics of these illegal cults for their coup d’etat, and as well, how ready they where in their preparations.” Captain Lo’Kee handed then the lists to General Dahl’Arak, who studied them.

“Now we know for sure they where conspiring, and we can proof it. We know as well who took a part in this conspiracy. But when?”

“Well, it seem, they aren’t ready so far” explained Xuunera. “My other agents have gathered that information at least:
However, with your victory against the Hebonnor sooner than expected and your eventual return to the city, it seems the Populists have panicked and are increasing their efforts.”

“They had prepared for seizing the power easily, sending the armies loyal to the senatorial party away fighting a distant war so there was no one in the city to contest them taking the power and instituting a new, populist government. But they aren’t ready then for a civil war?”

“Not now at least” answered Xuunera Lo’Kee to the General.

Dahl’Arak looked at the map of the city, and to the lists of names of the conspirators.

“We need then to take a step before they begin” she sentenced.

“We will take this to the Lower Council, to discover their treason?” asked Xuunera.

“It’s too late for politics. If we do that, in the current state of the City, they will be able to seize power with only minimal opposition. It wouldn’t be their original plan, but as the populists control the city of Negeémiliel, they could fortify there before the senatorial armies arrive, and then we will have a siege, and a long and bloody civil war, but they will be in a better stand than us, as they control the core of the Empire.” Dahl’Arak said. “It’s safe to assume, they will try to do their move before I arrive with my army back from the surface, because once my army returns, their expectations to easily control the city will vanish.”

“Then what do you suggest ma’am?”

“I will go to the Lower chamber of the Council, and formally request for a victory parade with my army” Dahl’Arak answered.

“What?” said perplexed Xuunera.

“I will come with my escort to the city –leaving my army behind in the surface- to request the Lower Chamber of the council this victory parade.”

“But… you are in the city?” asked Xuunera confused.

“Remember that I’m right now in the surface entertaining myself so much with the defeated King of the Mountain elves, that I have spend days in my tent” Dahl’Arak said with a smile.

“But for what will you ask a Victory Parade?”

“There are several reasons:

First: If I ask the Lower Council for a Victory Parade, the populist faction will do all they can in the congress to stop this from happening, as they want to avoid my army to return to the city as long they could. If I ask for a Victory Parade, they will think they have my army fixed in the surface, and that THEM, the lower council, control the return of the army, rather than myself. This will avoid them to hurry their coup d’etat before we act: They aren’t either ready, so they will want to have all the cards before playing.

Second: As neither the Populist or Senatorial party have a clear majority in the Lower Council, there will be several debates about what would be otherwise –if there weren’t secret gambles behind it- a daily issue. Is custom that a victorious army and general to have a victory parade, and to effectuate the correspondent sacrifices to Negeé, our matron and goddess of war.
Because of this, there will be much discussion, and hopefully, several sessions of the Lower Council”

“And what that for?”

“Well: currently, with our current strength in the city, we can’t oppose militarily a coup of the populists.

Neither we can just move in some of our loyal regiments to the city, without the Populists hurrying to realize their coup’d etat.

HOWEVER, is normal for a high ranking officer to travel with an escort. A pompous general like me can brag, bringing along numerous escort, as for example a whole company. It’s even possible we get some laughs from our oppositors, for how superficial and egolatric the Senatorial Generals are!
But each time I come to the city of Negeémiliel to loss my time debating such useless thing as a Victory Parade, we will be careful that each time a part of my escort disappear in the city.”

“But where will we garrison them?”

“In your house for example. How much space you have for acolytes?

“Ten, twelve at most.” Said Xuunera, thoughtfully.

“Where you can fit ten, you can easily fit 30 or more. I will give you as well a list of houses of other officers of our cause who we can use for this purpose.”

“But I doubt we will be able to smuggle an army like that, to fight the populists” stated Xuunera.

“I will as well disband some of the mercenary companies serving my army, but I will really order them to return –as individuals rather than as companies- to Negeémiliel. But mercenaries aren’t that trustworthy. However Xuunera, we aren’t trying to smuggle an army. We will create a fifth column.”

“A fifth column?”

“Once we have gathered enough force in Negeémiliel, I will return to the surface, to lead my army back to the underground, marching to the city. This of course will make the Populists to panic, and hurry to execute their coup’d etat.

But our fifth column, within the city, will strike then, while my army is still some marching days away of the city.

Our forces will seize the building of the Council, the Temple of Doom, the Academy of Negeé, the bridges over the Abyss of Doom and the doors of the city of the road of the Fallen Doors, to the surface.

With one strike, we should be capable of taking out the leaders of the Populist Party Conspirancy: this will confuse the rest of the conspirators, disorganizing them. Once with the head of the snake cut off, or forces will entrench in the taken positions, to resist there –as is foreseeable that, sooner than later, the enemies will reorganize, and having the numeric advantage, will try an armed resistance. You will have to resist in the entrenched positions, until I arrive leading my army:

Once I arrive with the army, we will be able to put down any resisting focus of rebellion, and finally bring peace to the city again” explained Dahl’Arak, while she pointed the different areas in the map, where her forces will need to act.

“This… this will be a civil war!” mumbled Xuunera.

“It’s either our move, or theirs, but this is already a civil war” Danieh’le said. “You will be in charge of seizing the Building of the Council. I will need you to contact my daughter Shi’Nill. She will lead the attack on the Temple of Doom. The other points will be taken care of other officers I will be bringing to Negeémiliel as my escorts.

“Shi’Nill? I thought you didn’t wanted to involve her, General. You said she had other agenda?”

“She has her own political agenda, but as well is my daughter. And her agenda is within the existing political structure of Negeémiliel, not under a populist tyranny. And I need somebody to take care of the High Sorceress: so who better than my daughter, a priestess and a member of the lower council, to give some more legal feeling to this, rather than an exiled officer with a grudge.”

“Yes Ma’am” said Xuunera. “But could I request something?”

“Yes Captain?”

“Could you bring along to the city my unit?”

“You know, this whole business will be quite dangerous.”

“I know Ma’am. But my women served in the Temple of Doom. They will be the more indicated forces to storm it, and later, to keep it until your army arrives.”

“Then it will be done” said General Dahl’Arak. “Now, we need to keep going.

“Yes Ma’am”

“… and the slavers of the slave market would have expect, that after such a long conversation in a private office, we have here a quite tasty deal between slaver and client, so they can get their share. It will be suspicious otherwise.”

“Uh?”

”I’m selling you thirty Hebonnor slaves. Very good and strong elves! They were warriors and are still untamed, but I think fifteen Kazrrai each is a good price.”

“450 Kazrrai in total?!! I can’t buy that! That’s too much for some untrained, surface elven slaves!”

“It’s an excellent price!”

“With the victory over the Hebonnor, the price will only go down and down! I will never recuperate my investment! 200 Kazrrai for all of them.”

“300 Kazrrai, 10 for every slave, and none less” said Dahl’Arak in her role of slave dealer.

“You are ruining me! I will be covered in debts”

“Think of it as a long term investment! If we fail and die in all this issue, then your debts don’t matter anymore. If we result victorious, there will be plenty of rewards for you!”

Xuunera growled, as she signed the paper. She didn’t know what she will do with these slaves. She didn’t even come to the slave market looking for a single slave, and now she had thirty!!

General Dahl’Arak took out her headband, handing it to the slave boy, who had been patiently sitting in a corner of the room.

“Xuuny, could you please make me a last favour?” Danieh’le said. “Could you please take as well little Thomma here back to your home? I don’t want the little runt to go around telling his friends what he heard?”

Xuunera looked at the slave boy and the General. “With a favor, you mean?” she was asking if she meant killing the boy. She didn’t liked much that sort of business…

“By Negeé, no!” said Xuunera. “Thomma is a helpful little boy! Bring him your home, and make him play with your daughters until all this is over or something! A good servant is to be rewarded, so he keep serving well!” the General said, before leaving the room.

“300 Kazrrai.” mumbled to herself Xuunera, looking to the slave boy. “From where will I make them appear? And how will she feed these slaves with the current prices of food?” she thought. “Let’s go Thomma” finally Xuunera said to the slave boy, leaving the Office in the Slave Market.

In the Mana Gardens by Shabazik
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