text: r version of Blue Dream, but it's probably for the best that you didn't try to rip us off directly. We might have very well sent assassins in that case." Percy says.
  "I had considered that, hence why I suggested changing the formula." You say.
  "See always thinking! Which is why a direct take over wouldn't be as efficient. I mean why come in here and stomp about establishing our dominance and wasting manpower and resources when you're here? A perfectly reasonable and intelligent man more than capable of running things and knowing to give us our due."
  "Also knowing I don't have choice in the matter either."
  "But there is ALWAYS choice! I just know you'll make the right one! I'm going to give you a sum and you can tell me if it's fair or rip it up. What you can't do is negotiate though. I'm afraid I'm not here to do that."
  
  With this statement, Percy suddenly takes a small piece of parchment out of his pocket and moves it across the table. You take it and look at it.
  
  It's not unreasonable, but it's not exactly something you'd be looking forward to paying every month. Especially when you're already kicking bribes to the Holgard government.
  
  Still, you're getting a lot of leeway all things considered. For now you're going to accept. You can always figure something out later.
  
  "Very well I accept." You say.
  "Good! I knew you would! You didn't get where you are by being an idiot! Now that business is over, I'm going to be in the city a few more days before coming to see you again for the first payment. Now I know you're a busy man with busy people, so I don't expect you lot to see to me and I'm more than capable of protecting myself. However, I would like some suggestions on where all the good spots to have fun and unwind are here."
  
  After giving Percy some suggestions he shakes your hand and thanks you before leaving. As for you, you don't feel like going back to work right away either. You dismiss your hob crew and tell the Felians to just go back to whatever it is they do since you just want a moment by yourself (Even if you are still in a tavern)
  
  While you're racking your brain on how to deal with this new situation, you get another visitor.
  
  "Tough day in the underworld?"
  
  You look and see a woman in Dorna robes. It's been awhile, but you recognize her immediately. It's Heather.
  
  "Heather? This is unexpected. How did you know I was even here?" You say.
  "Magic is a very handy thing to be skilled in when locating someone. I've been meaning to see you for a while now. In fact I was coming to see you today and I'm glad I caught you when I did since it seems like you've been meeting with others. Like that man from the Syndicate." Heather remarks.
  "You seem to have a lot of interest in me all of a sudden. Is this personal, or did Elder Flynn send you on behalf of your temple?"
  "Oh this is temple business, but Elder Flynn didn't send me. In fact he's no longer in charge. I am."
  "I see. Did you... "
  "Kill him? Oh no. There was a large magical disturbance last year at a known wizard's home miles outside Holgard. An old acquaintance of the Elder actually. Flynn, myself and several other high ranking members went to investigate and let's just say it didn't go well and I was the only survivor. However it did mean there was now need of a new leader and since I still was the most experienced. I took charge. Well, took charge of the few that remained of our order at least."
  "Hm. Didn't know that. Then again you lot are always insular so I just assumed you were being bookworms as usual and never leaving your temple. I'm surprised you told me that your temple isn't as strong as it once was. Still, I would have thought the Felians would at least have knowledge of this and been all over it, but then they're hardly the order they once were too."
  "You're right about that one, in fact that's why I'm proposing you need a new ally and abandon your old ones."
  "New ally... wait... what, your people?"
  "Why not? We've worked together before and obviously I trust you enough to reveal my temple's status to you."
  "Yes, which is why I'm less than enthused. I mean no offense, but if your order only mainly consists of you and a few acolytes now, why would I abandon the Felians for you lot? This seems like you're just wanting to wipe out the Felians and you need my numbers to help you do it. And why now anyway? You two haven't had any problems. Even during the faith war here, you two didn't have any trouble."
  "Because the Felians DO know that we're currently weak and they've already been conspiring to finish us off. Why they haven't revealed such info to your organization I couldn't say. Perhaps they felt that this didn't concern you or you wouldn't care. However, the shadow lurking fools are as you say, definitely not the order they once were. Even with our lesser strength we've already fought off several assassination attempts. Still, it's only a matter of time before they DO ask for assistance and that's most likely going to be you... or the Syndicate. They are back in this city are they not?"
  
  Now this meeting just became a little more serious. Heather seems to know a lot about your situation, but then given that she's got magic coming out her ass, you aren't that surprised.
  
  "Yes, they are. What are you exactly proposing Heather?" you ask.
  "The Fel temple is rogue in many ways. I don't propose to be an expert on their beliefs, but even I know that by breaking with its long time Syndicate alliance, it is only a matter of time before they are reabsorbed back into their faith's proper doctrine. That's either going to happen because we will eventually manage to do enough harm that they'll beg for help from their father temple in Delantium or they'll slowly be forced back into submission when the Syndicate eventually starts pushing their weight here. That is what they're doing aren't they?" Heather says.
  "Somewhat... yes."
  "My proposal is this. WE ally against the Felians. They aren't going to expect an attack from you and you probably know when and where best to strike. We will provide back up of course to minimize the losses. In return you get allies that are much more powerful in the ways of magic and aren't likely to backstab you in the future. Our goal aren't the same, but don't conflict either, so I'd say that already makes us better than the Felians."
  "For the sake of argument, let's say I agree to this. I still don't see how this helps me all that much. I'm going to be taking most of the risk and damage and if anything the Syndicate might get a little suspicious if I start wiping out former allies."
  "I think you and I both know they're going to be suspicious of you anyway, but if this helps, I will personally assist you in anyway I can in any matter. I mean maybe I never said this properly years ago, but I did appreciate that you turned down Elder Flynn's ritual suggestion. Not something I ever forgot."
  
  Heather looks at you with a mixture of anticipation and hopefulness. Perhaps even a bit of desperation. The fact that she's asking you at all says to you that she's not exactly confident that she'll win without your help.
  
  Honestly, you aren't sure about all this. While Heather has brought up some concerning points. The Felians ARE your allies and granted in this business such things can be fleeting, you start stabbing them in the back and where does it end? You also aren't so sure about replacing a solid known ally with an uncertain one, especially if they aren't exactly any better than the ones you have.
  
  Gloom also hasn't really ever given you any reason to suddenly turn on him. Unless you're going to count the fact that his people never said they were waging a private war to finish off the Dornans. Then again, maybe Gloom considered it an internal matter and didn't feel the need to bother you with it.
  
  And the Syndicate just complicates matters. How are they going to react or will they even care at all? Percy did mention the temple here was frowned upon by the faithful in Delantium. Maybe it wouldn't matter if you wiped them out.
  > ally with Heather
  The more you think about it, the more this makes sense in a ruthless pragmatic sort of way.
  
  The temple of Fel here could very well become an arm of the Syndicate again, maybe not today or tomorrow, but when it happens, you're going to be in a much more dangerous position.
  
  You still aren't exactly sure about the Dornans, but you're willing to give Heather the benefit of the doubt that she has genuine intentions. This still could all backfire of course, but you'll have to take that chance too.
  
  However, being an ally is a two way street and Heather did say she would help you in any way she could.
  
  "Okay Heather, I'm going to risk this, but as a show of good will I'm going to need something from you too." You say.
  "Of course. What is it?" Heather asks.
  "There's a representative from the Syndicate here as you know. Now I have to pay him an amount of coin that I don't particularly want to before he leaves in a few days."
  "Wait, so you want me to kill him?"
  "Well, you probably would be better equipped since I do have reason to believe that he's probably highly skilled in shadow magic. While maybe with a bit of preparation my people could take him since he's alone, but it wouldn't be pretty. However, that wouldn't really solve my problem. The Syndicate would just rightfully assume I killed him and then have good reason to be pissed at me and that wouldn't be good."
  "So what are you asking exactly?"
  "Any way you could alter his mind or something similar?"
  "Well there are spells that can do all sorts of things, but again, did you have an idea of what you wanted exactly?"
  
  You and Heather start to discuss each other's plans. Your situation with Percy is easy enough Heather says, and assures you that she will be able to implement something with the help of her people.
  
  Gloom and his people will be a little more difficult, but the pair of you come up with something that should work. It'll just require a little bullshit on your part, but you've been doing that for so long that you're definitely an expert in it. In any event, you're going to go meet with Gloom while Heather plans to ambush Percy.
  
  The next day you head to the Temple of Fel. Several Felians don't even seem to be bothered by your intrusion, which would be a much different story if Shade or his predecessors were running things.
  
  When one of them asks what your business is at the temple, you simply tell them that you wish to see Gloom at which point they go check to see if he's available and fortunately he is so you can get this over with today hopefully. (Along with it going smoothly)
  
  You walk through the dark temple and eventually to Gloom's chambers where he sits writing something. When you enter he smiles and greets you. (You've always found his general friendly personality to not quite match his name, let alone his faith)
  
  "Come in, come in, I was just finishing up my latest sermon. Have my faithful been providing an adequate job with your extra security? There haven't been any issues have there?" Gloom asks.
  "No, not at all. In fact I was going to tell you I won't be needing them after all, seems I overreacted with the Syndicate visit." You answer.
  "Ah, I see. Well better safe than sorry. So how did your meeting with the Syndicate go?"
  "Better than I hoped. Worse than I feared. So has the Syndicate been to see you?"
  "Us? No. I don't see why they would. Why do you ask?"
  "Oh, I figured while the Syndicate isn't making a direct threatening presence, I figure they might still be snooping about and trying to stir up animosity between allies."
  "Ah, yes I can see where that would be a concern, but I assure you we have no dealings with them even if the Temple of Fel has been considered the Syndicate's traditional ally. As you know while we are faithful to Fel, we believe in following our own path. We are your allies, not the Syndicate."
  "Yes, this particular temple has been engaged in the concept of flexibility for quite some time now. And I appreciate your dedication to our partnership, which is why I'm puzzled that you did not ask for our help on your own matter."
  "Our matter?"
  "Well your attempt to wipe out the Dornans of course."
  
  Gloom drops his friendly persona, though not to a hostile expression, but more of a serious one.
  
  "I considered that as a private conflict between faith and saw no reason to bother you with it, I know you're very busy and all. Though I do wonder how you found out about it, since we've very good about keeping this quiet. The Baroness would come down on everyone if the two remaining religious factions in the city were openly fighting in the streets." Gloom says.
  "Because the leader of the Dornans came to me yesterday begging for an alliance. She wants me to turn on you. She even gave me one of these again."
  
  You pull out a solid black orb causing Gloom's eyes to widen. He remembers a similar magic object was used during the final battle with the Joachimites. You continue to speak quickly before Gloom makes any rash moves.
  
  "Don't worry my friend, obviously I'm not here for treachery. Besides, I'm here by myself. Even without your magic I would never succeed so it would be a pretty poor plan indeed. I am however giving it to you. Just like I gave this to Shade when we fought the Inquisitor. Here you go."
  
  Gloom warily looks at you as he slowly takes the orb. When he finally grabs it, he seems to relax a little more, but he's definitely not comfortable. Still he hasn't killed you yet, so that's a good sign. Meanwhile you're doing your best to remain calm yourself under these conditions, so you continue to speak.
  
  "I have to say I was a little surprised that the Dornan high priestess came to me though. I figured with all their magic they would be more than able to take care of themselves." You say.
  "They're in a vulnerable state so they need all the help they can get right now. However, they're still very dangerous. In fact I thought that with their new leadership, they would soon collapse altogether, but as it turned out they have proved more resilient than I thought. They're attempting to rebuild and I'm not just talking about their numbers, I'm talking about their influence in this city." Gloom remarks.
  "What do you mean?"
  "The Dornan high priestess or matriarch as her followers call her now, has made steps in meeting with Baroness Varsakken over the past few months. She obviously intends on gaining favor with Ludmilla and eventually get rid of us and that can't happen."
  "Wow. Didn't know that, but isn't the Baroness a dedicated follower of Fel?"
  "Eh, the Baroness has always been a dabbler. Her faith in Fel isn't the most dedicated. Indeed she probably has always been more interested in learning shadow magic rather than revering Fel. Still, it was useful to have ruler that was friendly towards us. Unfortunately the new Dornan leadership seems have opened their own doors to teaching the ways of magic and Ludmilla is all too eager to jump on such an offer even if it means paying lip service to both gods."
  "Won't one of these divine beings eventually punish Ludmillia for her fickle nature?" you say mildly jokingly.
  "Perhaps, but it my experience the gods do things in their own time and as a mortal I can't wait that long. In any case it would seem that perhaps Fel has assisted in the more direct destruction of the immediate threat that are the Dornans."
  
  Gloom examines the orb in his hand after his statement before continuing.
  
  "So what exactly was the plan anyway? How did she even trust you enough?" Gloom asks.
  "Oh, she was trying to prey upon my paranoia with the Syndicate, claiming that you would eventually turn against me and other shit. Also during that whole getting Dornan help against the Joachimites, I fucked her once." You say.
  "Truly?"
  "Yeah, the Elder at the time was being sort of a dick to her and I bumped into her crying about it. Seeing an opportunity, I sort of reassured her of her worth and well you know how women fall for that sort of thing. One thing lead to another and I think she's always been a little sweet on me after that. As for the plan, I was supposed to just come in here with my people, break the orb so you couldn't use any magic and then make sure all of you were dead."
  "Hm, she might as well have placed her faith in Dorna rather than you for all good either would do her. The Dornans do have powerful magic to be sure, but they are poor fighters. Evening the odds with this object and they stand no chance. I'm going to personally enjoy this I believe and you've proven that our alliance is indeed a strong one. We will strike their temple in force. I want to make sure none escape, then we'll destroy it."
  "Did you want the League's assistance?"
  "Well, you've done enough already and I never even asked for it. I see now that I probably should have though. I believe we can do this ourselves, however if you still wish to help, I will not turn it down."
  "I'll be there with a few of my people. Couldn't hurt."
  
  Gloom tells you that he'll organize an attack in a few days, you tell him that works for you since you have some other business to attend to.
  
  A couple days pass and that other business finally comes to pass and this is what you've been more concerned about.
  
  You meet Percy at the same tavern with the payment. Once again he's very friendly.
  
  "On time as usual. Very glad that you value promptness as I am in a bit of a hurry. I believe I may have had too much fun here and I should be getting back. I thank you for your suggestions on where to go." Percy says.
  "No problem, so will you be back next month at this time?" you ask.
  "Probably not me, but someone will. Probably of much lesser importance of course. I was just here this time to extend the hand and make the deal as it were. Still glad we came to one."
  "Yes, I agree. Better for business all around."
  "Yes! Yes exactly!"
  "Anyway, I have your payment. Um, just so we're clear how much was it again?"
  "Oh come on now. You trying one last try at lowering the price? I told you I wasn't here to haggle. You know it was a thousand gold pieces."
  "Yes, I knew, and I have it here. Just a poor attempt at a joke I suppose."
  "Hm, well jokes are fine, but never about the Syndicate business. I hope you remember that."
  "I will."
  
  You have two of your hobgoblin muscle show Percy a large chest of gold to which he nods and you tell them to load it on the carriage outside.
  
  "And with that, our business is concluded. I bid you good day and wish you well in your future endeavors, especially if it's going to make the Syndicate money!"
  
  Percy stands up, shaking your hand and leaves.
  
  You can't believe that worked. You don't know what the hell Heather did to him, but he actually believed he only asked you for a thousand gold monthly payment as opposed to the much larger sum he asked before.
  
  You can imagine his superiors are going to be upset, but it won't be at you, it'll be at him for fucking up a deal that they're stuck with now. Well at least you hope they won't try to re-negotiate immediately. You've bought yourself a little more time at least.
  
  Meanwhile, you still have to go stab the Felians in the back though you're sort of wondering about still going through with that now what you've heard about Heather cozying up to the Baroness.
  
  Seems like now more than ever she's attempting to use you as a pawn. Granted she was allying with you for mutual benefit before, but this seems a little different now. What exactly is she planning?
  
  Then again, if she is getting friendly with the Baroness, is it really going to make a difference to you? And Heather did just come through for you on the Syndicate thing.
  > stick with the deal
  One double cross is enough for now, no need to complicate matters. Besides, regardless of Heather's own agenda, she's probably not wrong about the Felians.
  
  Going to be interesting when you see the look on Gloom's face when he realizes the orb you gave him doesn't work.
  
  The night of the attack comes and you meet with Gloom just a few blocks away from the Dornan Temple, you have your usual hob retinue with you. (You're really getting used to having these guys around nowadays) Gloom is with a few of his own people, but even without magic powers you can sense some are probably nearby in the shadows.
  
  "Once again, glad that this is a joint effort though I don't think it was necessary to bring as many people with you as you did. The orb is going to nullify all magic and when that happens, those Dornan priests aren't going to be much match for us." Gloom says.
  "Yeah, well I want to be on the safe side. My people are going to remain outside anyway, you know just in case any try to escape. I'll come in with your people. Speaking of which are you really bringing them all?" you ask.
  "Yes, this is something that's been a long time coming and nobody who is a true follower of Fel should miss out on. Honestly, it was foolish to believe they wouldn't be a problem. Shadow Master Shade warned me to always watch them you know, just before he died. A few of his interpretations of the faith may have been a bit too restrictive, but he had his own wisdom on practical matters."
  "Well, after tonight, you won't need to worry about watching them ever again."
  
  With those last words all of you march towards the temple. The few wanderers still outside in the area immediately go find shelter when they see a group of mean looking hobgoblins and Felians walking down the street.
  
  The Dornan Temple doesn't even have their usual lookout standing outside, though you imagine the Dornans have some sort of magical detection going on and this plan has already been expected.
  
  Gloom blasts the temple's doors off their hinges with a dark magic bolt of some sort. Then he takes the lead, you tell your hobgoblins to stand guard outside and kill anyone who tries to escape. They faithfully obey and you enter with the crowd of Felians that are entering the temple, staying close to the back of course.
  
  Heather and her much smaller group are already there to meet the Felians.
  
  "It ends today and the faith of Fel will rule supreme in the city at last!" Gloom shouts and throws down the orb. A bit more dramatic than you'd expect from a Felian, but then Gloom's whole attack tonight is a bit more theatrical than a typical Felian would go about this. Good thing too, since if he behaved more like his predecessors he wouldn't be going in so recklessly like this.
  
  No sooner has Gloom made his announcement, a white light washes over the room and suddenly all of Gloom's previously shadow cloaked people are now visible. Naturally Gloom just assumes this is just the effects of the orb, but he's soon very surprised to learn that the Dornans have not lost any of their magic abilities at all.
  
  Several of them are incinerated instantly by Dornan spells. Gloom himself manages to cut down a single acolyte before he's finally brought down by some spell that causes him to age rapidly and then fall over dead.
  
  They may be a small group, but this temple is where their magic is the most powerful and you're getting to witness a lot of it first hand, you're just glad you're not on the receiving end.
  
  While the remaining Felians realize that this is a lost cause and attempt to run, you do you part in shooting a few of them while your hob crew enthusiastically cuts down these lesser Felians that have more fear than fight left in them.
  
  A Holgard watch patrol shows up, but doesn't intervene, instead they just turn right back around, probably thinking they don't get paid enough to deal with this level of conflict.
  
  Soon, it's all over and the Felians are no more as a force in this city and you're just hoping you made the right choice in allies. Heather commands her people to start cleaning up the bodies before she goes over to speak to you. She looks a little worn and tired, but then you guess magic takes its toll just as much as regular combat.
  
  "Told you the plan would work as long as you got them in here." Heather remarks.
  "Yeah, thankfully Gloom was a trusting fool and practically a heretic of his own faith which generally goes about things in a much subtler manner." You answer.
  "I suppose that did make things easier. Thanks again for you help on this. The expression on Gloom's face was priceless when he realized the orb didn't work!"
  "Mm, didn't see it, I was just concerned about not getting caught in the cross fire of a stray magic missile or possible a Felian blade after realizing they had been had."
  "Oh, you never in any true danger. Even if you had gotten wounded we could have easily fixed you up with healing magic."
  "As you say... well in any case I certainly hope you're as chummy with the Baroness as you're supposed to be, because this little fight did attract attention and last I heard any open fighting between the religious faiths was frowned upon. Not to mention the League was involved and I certainly down want repercussions of this to cause my organization to suffer for it."
  
  Heather looks at you as if you weren't supposed to know her dealings with the Baroness.
  
  "Know about that do you?" she asks.
  "Gloom might have mentioned it. He never elaborated and what you were talking about with her, but I get the impression he didn't know and just feared a power grab and wanted to strike first before you had the whole city worshipping Dorna." You answer.
  "I see. His sudden attacks make a lot more sense now, though if he had come to me directly, we probably could have even come to an agreement."
  "Doubt it. He was still very dedicated to Fel even if he wasn't a stickler for doctrine."
  "But that's just it, my conversations with the Baroness weren't about religious faith. They were about magic in general. I was urging that she should seriously consider setting up a magic school here. Especially since I know she's very interested in the subject."
  "A magic school?"
  "Why not? The Delantium Kingdom has a very well established university; even Klyton has a small one. Surely a city as large as Holgard is worthy of one."
  "I guess? Little bit out of my area of expertise. So wait, you aren't planning on making Dorna the only goddess to worship in the city?"
  "Not really. I mean that seems to be a side effect of all this, but honestly I don't care who worships what. I believe the pursuit of keeping magic alive is more important than worship at this point. I'm not sure if you realize it, but magic isn't exactly a common thing nowadays and has been in decline. In a couple hundred years after the last few powerful wizards die out, what then? Dorna is a the goddess of magic and knowledge, I can better serve her through teaching rather than just worship."
  
  Sort of an interesting goal you weren't expecting from Heather. Not really one that directly interferes with your own business either, perhaps it could even be a new opportunity, if it ever gets off the ground.
  
  Heather goes on to say that she will of course smooth all this over with Ludmilla and more importantly make sure there are no repercussions for the League.
  
  A couple weeks pass and sure enough, you haven't been harassed by the Holgard Watch (Well within reason).
  
  After a month rolls around a Syndicate collector comes by and asks for the thousand, very no-nonsense and anxious to be on his way. When you name drop Percy, just to see if you can get any information on what might have happened to him, the rep says he doesn't even know the man. You pay him with the chest full of coin and he's on his way. Nothing else is mentioned or happens.
  Meanwhile one of the requests to Heather is asking if she can figure out a way to lift your curse. She says she doesn't know other than the ritual Elder Flynn suggested that time and apparently he never did give the exact details about what it all entailed as far as the words to say and such. (And she's not exactly keen on bringing up the other known detail you both know about)
  
  However, she says she still has a lot of his notes and writing to go through, so she will try to find out how to do it and perhaps maybe there are other ways to lift it as well.
  
  Looks like you picked your new allies wisely. Hopefully this all proves to be even more useful in the future.
  > time passes...
  Year 32
  
  It's been awhile, but it's good to see Vera again even if she's just here for a visit. She's got some strong opinions on some of the changes that have happened recently though.
  
  "I still can't believe the Felians are gone completely. I mean I just remember them always being here. Then again, so were a lot of groups I suppose. Still, sort of surprised you managed to gain an alliance with the Dornans." Vera remarks.
  "Don't see why it's really all that surprising. Heather helped us in the past and she's running things now. The Dornans aren't even very religious anymore; they turned their temple into a school of sorts. Don't think they've got many takers yet though." You say.
  "Hm. I'm also still a little concerned about what you did with the Syndicate though. Might have been better in the long run to just pay their price."
  "Are you kidding me Vera? You didn't see what they were trying to extort from us. Besides, we've been okay so far and they haven't even suddenly tried to raise the rate."
  "I dunno. I know you have a lucky habit of getting over on the Syndicate, but I feel like this is pushing it. I have to think they must know something, but they're biding their time to lull you into a false sense of security before they strike."
  "Oh trust me, ever since I stepped foot into this city, I've been on my guard constantly. Don't really know any other way to live at this point. However I'm going to soon be hiring a lot of cheap muscle in the form of all the hobgoblins, so I'm slightly less concerned about the Syndicate."
  "What? You can't seriously be considering recruiting MORE hobs."
  "Why not? They'll actually be perfect for this. Most of them either come here just itching to break someone's legs or they go join the fight arena. Though a few odd ones join the Holgard Watch instead, go figure."
  "Maybe, but I've noticed a severe increase in hobs in this organization since I came back to Holgard. Just don't want this place turning into the Roach Leg Tribe."
  "It's Spiderfang Tribe actually and they're still far outnumbered for that to happen. Well, for now at least. In any case, most of them have been migrating to Holgard quite a bit over the years. I guess most are learning that city life isn't all that bad and you can still be just as much of a violent asshole here as you can out in the wild and get routinely paid for it. Hmm, actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I guess it makes sense that a few of them join the Holgard Watch after all."
  "Well your call I guess, at least I don't have deal with them. Dealing with Warts was enough for me. Though I'm not convinced a bunch of unruly hobs are going to be the end all of extra protection."
  "Hence why we're also close allies to a group of wizards."
  "You seem pretty confident in our new wizard allies. Just how friendly are you with this Heather? I mean are you fucking her or something?"
  "No I'm not actually."
  "Ah, so you're TRYING to fuck her."
  "Actually I'm not, but I'm not sure what difference it would make to you if I was."
  "None I suppose, though I was just trying to figure out what might have been the motivator to throw your lot in with trusting this sorceress and her adepts. But if you say it was purely a practical and strategic move for the good of the League, then that's good enough for me."
  "Speaking of fucking, who was that big dark skinned guy who you were reluctant to leave when you were getting off the ship?"
  "Oh, that's Zamed. He's the captain of the Traveler. He's a Hessla pirate, we tend to have business with a lot of them in Jicol, but Zamed's been about the only one I've really taken a shine to lately. Still, it's just as well as he's a pirate. Don't think I'd want him around ALL the time. Best to keep these sort of things free and flexible."
  "Interesting. Though I thought Jicol was supposed to be pirate free."
  "Eh, it's pirate free in that the city doesn't have to worry about them ever attacking the place, but that doesn't mean they can't stop there for supplies as long as they behave. Besides, Zamed's been more of a privateer recently, though I suppose it's a thin line. He's been doing a lot of work for the Delantium Kingdom in their war against Nichan. Which is something I sort of want to bring up with you because it could possibly affect the League."
  "Well guess I better hear it then."
  
  Vera takes a drink of the rum she's brought with her from Jicol before continuing.
  
  "Okay, I guess I'll start at the beginning. Let's see... what do you know of Peter Varsakken? Youngest son of Vlad." Vera asks.
  "Um, nothing actually. Didn't know there was another one of Vlad's spawn running around. Wait, is this another one of his bastards, like you?" you ask with a smirk.
  "Oh no. He's very much legitimate. It's just that after he had a disagreement with his father and fled the city, all records were pretty much erased of him. He's basically been living in exile in the Delantium Kingdom. Peter's disagreement with his father involved the whole breaking away from the Delantium Kingdom in the first place. Peter was the only one who saw it as treason and remained loyal to Delantium. Over the years Peter has been trying to amass an army to take back the city."
  "It's my understanding that the Delantium Kingdom hasn't exactly been in a big hurry to retake this place. I mean it's been decades hasn't it?"
  "Well they've been sort of busy with other things, like their recent war with Nichan for example. While the ruling class over there doesn't want to spend their resources and treasury to take this place back, they certainly won't turn down someone else willing to do the job, and that's where Peter comes in. He's of noble birth, loyal to the kingdom and would be an excellent governor for this city and absorb it back into Delantium's fold."
  "I see, and how do you know all this?"
  "As I said Zamed has been privateering for the Delantium Kingdom and he was contacted by Peter who is still trying to amass a conquering force of men and ships to take back his birthright. In fact Zamed is supposed to be organizing the majority of a flotilla of Hessla privateers"
  "And you trust this pirate?"
  "Of course not, but I trust the fact that I know how to lay it down good enough that he told me all this stuff in the bedroom without me even asking."
  "Okay, I don't need details on that part."
  "Anyway, Peter's been at this for years ever since he got exiled. He's suffered many set backs in his quest to retake Holgard. Every time he's been on the verge of being ready, something has happened. This was partially thanks to the Ebony Claw Syndicate sabotaging his efforts in Delantium, and sometimes even the Temple of Fel would hinder his efforts as well. However, since things have changed drastically over the years in this city, he's in the best position he's ever been in to retake this place."
  "What makes you think he won't get sabotaged again by either group? I mean the Ebony Claw might not have a direct presence here, but they're still making some coin from us. Same is some what true of the Felians, though different reasons. They're allies with the ECS, so they tend to help them."
  "I don't think they care this time. I mean thanks to your magical shenanigans they don't make enough from us for it to make much difference either way I suppose. If the League suffers severely from this invasion, the ECS will most likely just come in directly and finish it off."
  "Well that's presumptuous that we're going to get the shit kicked out of us. As long as we don't stand toe to toe with an invading force and stay out of the damn way, I imagine we'll get through it. Hell, it isn't like we don't have routes out of the city if need be. Honestly though unless this Peter is bringing the full force of the Delantium army, I don't see him winning. Ludmilla counts wizards among her allies and has a strong fleet of her own, so I question if this Peter is even going to succeed. And say Peter does win, then what? Is this guy some law and order fanatic? He's a Varsakken and from what I can tell every single one of their family members are corrupt. So it would just be a matter of coming to an understanding with him so business continues as usual."
  "Well that might be easier to do if we dealt with him now then. In fact I sort of wanted to address that idea."
  "Oh?"
  
  Vera goes into the explanation that from the information she's gathered from Zamed, Peter is most likely going to win. While he doesn't have the Delantium army at his command, he does have several orc mercenary companies along with a few wizards that he's managed to make friends with from the Delantium magic university.
  
  She also has heard that while Peter isn't exactly a Joachimite purity zealot, his time in the Delantium Kingdom has probably given him more of an appreciation for a more orderly society as opposed to one that embraces rampant corruption so readily. So he's most likely not going to look favorably upon the Nocturnal League.
  
  However, he's still pragmatic enough that he'd probably give leniency to a group that actively helped him and a deal could very well be made as you said. Vera goes on to say she truly believes that this is the best chance for the Nocturnal League to survive in Holgard.
  
  "You seem to have given this some thought, and while I do often appreciate your input on things, the one problem I have in this case is you're getting all of this information second hand from a pirate. Now I know you said your vertical smile caused the guy to go all stupid over you, so you're certain he's on the up and up. However, HIS information might also be mixed with rumors, half-truths and outright lies that he's overheard. I mean if you were fucking Peter Varsakken himself and getting this information from him, I might believe the situation is as hopeless as you're saying." You say.
  "I thought you might feel that way, so how about this then... Peter Varsakken is meeting Zamed. We could go to this meeting as well and we could hash out our demands." Vera remarks.
  "Wait. You're telling me that you were planning on going to meet with this Peter without me?"
  "No! Of course not! I came here first because I wanted to see what your decision would be on this. I mean look, I understand what you're saying, but based on everything I've learned, the outcome seems grim even if we managed to keep our head down during the initial invasion. But, you're right too, I am getting all this information second hand, so maybe it would be a good idea to actually talk with this Peter in person, before coming to any sort of decision. If we did, you and I could both make an assessment of whether to throw our lot in or not."
  "I dunno... (Sigh) yeah I suppose it couldn't hurt, though I'm just wondering about the people we already have alliances with. I mean pissing off the Holgard magic school isn't something I exactly want to do, also you mentioned the ECS has been thwarting this guy's efforts for a long time, and I'm still not convinced that they won't still do that even if they haven't done it yet. By siding with Peter, we could piss them off which wouldn't be any good either."
  "Well... it's your call I suppose boss. I just don't want us to get swept away in the flood of this upcoming conflict. I want to see us survive."
  "Pretty sure we all want that."
  
  You swear if it isn't a rebellion or faction war, it's a fucking invasion in this city. It's enough to make you want to pick up and just leave everything behind rather than deal with this shit. However, you've built something here, so you're not doing that until all else fails.
  
  Whether or not you can strike a good deal with Peter or not, there is one very personal reason you'd prefer to stay loyal to your current allies and that's the fact that so far Heather is your only sure lead on getting fixed from your curse. If you backstab them and live, you're still fucked because there goes a potential cure. It's selfish, but it's a pretty strong motivator.
  
  While Vera has said that Peter has wizard connections as well, that's not a sure thing that you can get help from them. They're assisting Peter and have no reason to do the same for you.
  
  About the only thing you can do is try to see if Heather and her people might join Peter's invasion. Hell, if that's the case then you'd definitely be willing to help Peter as well.
  
  Of course doing that might not go over well either and you'd tip your hand pretty severely. Might be better to talk to Peter first and get all the information from him and then go speak to Heather so you'd at least have something that might be useful to her if worse came to worst in your meeting.
  > talk to Heather first
  Maybe you're a little paranoid but you don't feel comfortable going to a meeting in unfamiliar territory with someone who you know virtually nothing about save for what Vera's managed to tell you. Peter could see this as an opportunity to take you out as a potential obstacle to his conquest. Vera by herself on the other hand is less of a target, not to mention she's got a pirate boyfriend with her.
  
  "I'm not going to this meeting, however since you're so friendly with this Zamed and he's going anyway, you can continue to accompany him. Then you can come back here and tell me what you think." You say.
  "You don't want to go yourself? I would have thought this would be something so important that you'd want to directly deal with it." Vera says.
  "While it would be nice to just have unlimited power to deal with everything directly, I've got a bunch of shit to take care of here. I trust that you'll be fine and I trust you'll be able to assess the situation and give me proper feedback of our best options."
  "Okay. That's a lot of confidence in me, boss."
  "Well, if I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have put you in charge of our chapter at Jicol, which obviously has been thriving under your management. You've always been an asset to the Nocturnal League... and hell you're probably one of the few people I consider a friend."
  
  Vera looks a bit moved by your words. Honestly, you didn't really plan to say something like that, but it felt right under the circumstances. Vera nods and agrees with your words and then moves in to hug you which you return.
  
  It's a bit of a longer than average hug and it's pretty obvious that there has always been a little something there between the two of you, but thanks to your curse you've never tried to pursue it. Vera herself probably believes that you're just not interested in her that way at this point.
  
  What might have been you suppose, but then again who knows? You still hold out hope that you'll get cured one day so the future isn't set in stone yet.
  
  But first things first and that's preparing for this invasion and how you're going to go about it.
  
  After seeing Vera off, you go to the Temple of Dorna, which of course has now been transformed, into a school. Still looks practically the same and there still aren't many people in the place. Seems that not many have taken advantage of the chance to learn magic, or more likely, nobody in this scum-ridden city has the talent for it. (Or the money)
  
  You don't get far before you're stopped by two teenagers.
  
  "Hey you, this isn't a fucking Purple Wish Den! This place is for wizards only!" a pimply faced young man says. The young woman with him gives you a dirty look with an amused sneer.
  
  "It is? I thought it was a brothel. Good thing it isn't though because I don't need a blowjob that badly." You say, then you look over at the girl with him.
  
  "Well, maybe you'd be okay after a couple ales."
  "HEY! That's my girlfriend, you asshole!"
  "Oh? Well I'm sure she'll appreciate someone taking longer than two minutes for a change."
  "Ew! Fucking perv! You think you're funny? You won't be so funny after I set your balls on fire." The young woman says.
  "Ah, you've got the crotch rot then, okay then I'll pass. Look, while all this has been amusing, I'm not here for either one of you snotnosed brats, I'm here to see Heather."
  "That's Grand Matriarch to you and I don't see why she'd want to see you at all."
  
  Before you can respond, the