"Chaplain-Corporal Ilham reporting." The masked man saluted you on the outskirts of the training fields. The very same place where you had sparred against the Hor-Herren at the start of the week.
Well, with the events unfolding, it
felt like months. "Welcome back Corporal, how was the Front?"
"Deadly." He said glibly. "Though from what happened here," He looks at your still bandaged shoulder. "This place has its own dangers."
"Mhmm." You look behind the Corporal and... it doesn't look promising. An understrength squad of three people, armed with bolt-action rifles and medical supplies on their backpack. They look haggard but
no- Not quite. There's exhaustion, yes. But there is steel in their eyes. Faint but
there. It'd take work to get them to be
half the man Ilham is, but you'll take them.
And speaking of steel, the Corporal is sporting a glinting steel
medal on his lapels, slightly covered by his cloak. "So what's the story with the medal?"
"The Front is a place where men like me are needed. A Priest of the Fourth is welcomed at any time and," He handed you over a commendation paper. Your brain trailed instantly to the part
'for his contribution in service of holding the Morgreen Pass' as well as
'with ten confirmed kills and saving five critically injured soldiers' to know roughly happened. You are not the only one who had an eventful week. "In the opinions of the Captain of the 143th Company, I
earned the Steel Star of Dedication."
Before you get a word in, he continued. "And moreover, your initiative in sending me have been well received by the Captain." Except for the fact that you
weren't the one to send him over. You
swear you hear a hint of snark buried within the gravel-like voice. "Meredith Tann and the 143th sends their best regards." Well, at least you made good impression on
some people. You'll write that down for Emil.
"And... that's all?"
"I would have hoped so." He looked back at his... congregation might not be the
best word to describe them but still, "But the Front bore no reasonable fruits during my search. Too many of the soldiery are weak in will and those that
aren't do not follow the Fourth to a degree I deem acceptable. Or they follow another in their faith. These three privates are all that I can
scrounge. But rest assured Lieutenant, that a single fact remains.
I
will make proper Fourth Priests out of them."
A high result in war contribution as well as a low result in recruiting led to the following:
- Chaplain-Corporal Ilham gained Steel Star of Dedication, bonus towards personal first impressions in relation to his low rank.
- The 68th Platoon is well regarded by Captain Meredith Tann and the 143th Company
- The Needs of A Priest Action Bare Failure. Action progresses instead of failing outright.
Well, it's the end of the week. You don full officer uniform, affix your hat on top of your heat, sheathe your sword and holster your auto-revolver. Then, take a deep breath for you will enter a battlefield that you are
utterly unsuited for. A battlefield where Emil excels, not
you. You're not even a
passable novice.
Oh goodness....
Willpower
[1d45] -> 27
Breathe. You can do this. You
have to do this. But first, let's review the situation and
make a plan.
You will be having a private meeting with Anhauser-Busch at 9 PM in the Steward's Residence, which is basically the Mayor's Office but repurposed as a redoubt and hardpoint. After the attack by the Muromets -
there's the chill again - the entire area is
swarming with MPs as well as
actual military forces.
Not that you intend to disparage the MPs, but they aren't exactly the cream of the crop.
You can be assured that the run of the mill soldiery aren't... on the side of the Confederacy. No, you'll have to worry about the higher ups, the PoIs, as it were.
The problem
was, you don't have any. Well, you
normally wouldn't have any but the Lion pulled a few strings that arrived on your desk without anyone noticing. Now, you know of
two person of interests now.
The Vice Steward, Lillian Meulle-Forran is a Major assigned to be the second-in-command to Anhauser-Busch. By all accounts, she is a fast riser through the ranks. Her meteoric rise is due to a combination of talents mundane and magical as well as simple connections. Well, the Ides Codes she have is another factor. The file given doesn't delve into what they are but that's not the eye-catcher.
The eye-catcher is that she is the daughter of one Villaria Forran, a noble emigre from the
Confederacy. Her mother apparently got into a big scandal of sorts that ended in the entirety of the Forran dynasty line to be exterminated, except for her and a few other relatives. The problem is, that whole affair is the worst kind of scandals, as Emil would have put it. The ones where enough details have been distorted to such an extent that truth and lies mixed together.. The file given mentioned that much anyway. Which means that you would have to directly verify things in regards to her... by skulking about.
You are already dreading that.
The Mayor, Elarre Falconne is technically a civilian. In truth, he was one of the many citizens press-ganged to fight during the Autumnal Revolution as someone barely out of the teen years. By all accounts, he acquitted himself well, gaining the rank of Citizen-Corporal before his retirement at the ripe age of 34. The clout he had during those tumultuous times allowed him to assume the persona of a war hero. He then pushed for a nomination as a mayor at the still ripe age of 46 just before the war had started.
Normally, the circumstances would have led him getting second place. You can hear Emil's phantom whispering in your ears that this would have been a
good thing. Allowing the 'war hero' to gain more political clout and maybe even several concessions, allowing him to gain traction for further elections.
But then the Massacre happened. And the result was a
landslide to his favour, on account to his firm stance and persona. From how everything is laid out on his file, it seems that you were not the
only one to think that the whole thing is in
some degrees suspicious. But from observations, it seemed that he
is clean. So maybe it's all just a big coincidence?
...You wish so. You
dearly wish so.
But those two would only be the first
two PoIs. There would surely be more. You'll have to ascertain the whole matter
after the meeting.
...well, maybe after looking at the files more.
The files given for the two PoIs are somewhat comprehensive. The above assessments is a compact summary but there are still more information that might be pertinent.
Optional Vote:
[][POIs] Write-In What You (The Thread) Would Like to Know. A vote would need at least 3 voters picking them before the QM (Read: Me) answers. These Write-Ins will be answered as the main vote happens.
Now, you aren't
exactly entering the wolf's lair unarmed and without backup. You are allowed your weapons and Ides Codes, for one. The threat of Muromets is to such a degree that officers are allowed their weaponries on their persons. Next, you have Hor-Herren, on standby in the office ready at a moment's notice. Your
Patron's assistance is left unsaid. But should you need to go 'loud', you are at least covered in that regard.
As for Ilham... he's too much of an unknown factor. In the first place, he was a 'gift' from the Anhauser-Busch. You are not yet certain if he is truly who he seems. You can't trust him yet.
Uegh, you already hate the intrigue. Seeing shadows in the corner of your eyes isn't something you
enjoy.
The Plan:
[][PLAN] Be passive. It's simple, isn't it? All you had to do is to follow along and see what Anhausser-Busch is planning at. Hear out his offer and then see from there. The problem? Emil did say you have a
bad poker face.
[][PLAN] Be assertive. If you can't use your poker face, then perhaps it would be best to come
clean. Tell him that you know that he is a double agent. That is the truth, after all. On the other hand, you... do not know how he'll react.
[][PLAN] Be
confrontational. Simple. Upside? Completely upending the balance and status quo would ensure that you have the
quickest way to ascertain the Steward's allegiance. Downside? You would be
completely upend the balance and status quo.
