It made Ureck feel terrible that Sherani was still acting so bright, especially with the kind of information he was about to lay on her. Yet she had earned his faith very quickly, and he felt it would do both them and the others well to speak.<br/><br/>"Okay," he began softly. "I need you to pay attention, because this is going to be quite a bit. I didn't want to say this in front of everyone because I don't want them to think lowly of me, and quite frankly you're the person I trust the most. I can't go with you all because, if my suspicions are right, I might be in a lot deeper with Lesik than you or everyone else."<br/><br/>Before continuing, he cast a furtive glance behind Sherani, behind himself, even across the roofs and windows to make sure there weren't any prying eyes or ears. Then, with a deep breath as if he was about to say something heavy, he spoke on with a very, VERY low voice.<br/><br/>"For the past several years, I've been forced to work with a group of nobles from the town called the Grangers," the collie explained. "Their members are seen as respected figureheads publicly, but outside of the light they participate in much more shadowy agendas." Ureck took a nervous gulp. "To satisfy their lusts, they select targets from the population, then they coordinate agents to capture the people so the big members can... can eat them. It's a huge underground network, and through it they're terrorizing Espen as if it wasn't bad enough already."<br/><br/>A pall of shame fell over the collie's face, and he had to pause for a moment to compose themselves. "I don't participate in their little game, I think its disgusting. But since they fooled me into their web they've been using me as a code writer to help mobilize the agents. And I know enough about their operations to see that they could have played a part in this attack tonight. Why were there no guards around? I know one of the Grangers who can make that happen. How can someone like Lesik even be in town? Another Granger can do that. Why would the Grangers even care about Lesik? Yet another one of the big heads could easily have his strings pulled by him. Do you see? Lesik might have his claws sunk really deep into my employers, and if I openly engage in malice against him the Grangers will turn their jaws on me."<br/><br/>Clearing his throat for a moment, he cast Sherani a quick glance to see how she was taking all this in before continuing. "Still, I should be able to give you guys some indirect backup if I can play my cards right. Ever since-" He caught himself there, and a shimmer of sorrow seemed to eclipse him for a moment before he pressed on. "Well, for quite a while now I've been trying to undermine the Grangers' operations, seeing what I can do to destroy the grasp they have over town. And I think you and the others inside are just what I've been waiting for. They're already rather suspicious of my actions, and given that Lesik probably knows I work for them he might try to turn that against me. Still, I think I can stay on their good sides, which will then mean I'll have inside access to both them and Lesik's business. From there, I'll be in a good position if any of you get into a jam while trying to come after him, keep you all afloat help us all reach our goals. Remember that okay?"<br/><br/>Ureck took one last deep breath, this time appearing far calmer that before. "Okay, now bear in mind. The Grangers are a very dangerous bunch. Lesik already seems pretty sneaky on his own, and his work with the Grangers will only expand his reach into the nooks and crannies of Espen. He'll have eyes everywhere, and because you all have been targeted by him already you need to be extremely careful. It's not as clear-cut as just running in and killing them off; that simply can't be done, so try to keep the others on their toes in that regard. I'll be sure to back you all up if I can. I want to see scum like Lesik fall as much as all of you. But, to ensure I'm still around to help you, don't tell this information to anyone until the time comes that you need some inside help. I'll be shadowing you guys as you go, and I'll try to find some way to stay in contact with you so you can tell me if the group is ever in need of support. I'm sorry to just press all this on you, I just wanted to let you know what you were up against and that I can still help. I hope you understand..."<br/><br/>With that, the collie stepped forward and suddenly gave Sherani a grateful hug, only realizing a moment later she might not want his touch. "Sorry," he said with a smile, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "It's just... I wasn't sure I'd ever succeed in overthrowing the Grangers until I met you all." He sighed. "Shall we go back into the bar?"<br/><br/>(Ureck isn't aware that Rak can understand his speech, but since he's whispering so softly he might need to make an effort to hear their conversation. I'm not sure how that would work out in terms of rolls, but its a thought.)