<div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">occ</div><div class="spoiler_body">Sorry for the long delay. Had an unexpectedly busy week, but only one day to go! Here's a minor essay to make up for it. </div></div><br/>Gerald nods as Rhinda arrives. “Alright, let’s get down to the real business then. Please follow me inside.” Gerald leads in you inside the massive double doors and towards the grand theatre. While the Houses of Shadow do not often preform at the university as often the Opera House and the Concert Halls, performances are not as regular, although the theatre also serves as one of the largest classrooms and lecture halls.<br/><br/>Gerald leads you up, towards on of the private balconies. A vast selection of Aundarian and Karrn cheeses, beers and wines lays before you, along with raw, spiced and cooked meat from all over the Five Nations.<br/><br/>“Don’t expect this treatment often, but this one is one me,” says the dwarf as he picks up a Cyrian ale. Down  “It’s one part congratulations on your selection, and one part welcome to the team. Shard, I am afraid that I have no idea how to treat a warforged, but I am told that war forged have senses similar to humans even if you do not need to eat, so please feel free to indulge yourself.”<br/><br/>“You are now officially inducted into the Sharn Watch, if you weren’t already. You are the law and the protection for the people of this city. Officially, I am your CO, and then we report to the Lord Commander. Unofficially, however, we are effectively a separate cell of the police force and have the freedom and luxury to take the cases that we want to. I hear that for some of you, keeping your independence is important, so there you go. It also means we occupy a bit of an odd niche in the force. We are specialists in the strange and unusual cases, which means private citizens can make appeals to us for aid, much like a detective agency, but with the full force of the law behind us. I will be looking into cases, and if another division requests our aid, we will lend it, but you can launch your own investigations as well.”<br/><br/>“That brings me to another point. Be careful who you take money from. There will be times when people offer you reward with all of their hearts. Use your judgement, but it is not criminal to take such offerings from them, as long as you declare it to me. There will be other times that they offer you rewards to try and make you owe them a debt. Please don’t get sucked into that, it leeds down a bad path, but make sure you don’t insult a mob boss either.”<br/><br/>At this, the sifter woman pipes in. Her voice smooth, like a cat’s purr, and unlike the voices of the goblin children that are singing a ‘traditional ballad’ on the stage. “Right now, the Watch’s biggest concern is exactly that. The Mobs are getting restless and the Daask are rocking the boat. The last thing that the city needs is a mob war to break out down below. They Tyrants and Tarkanan are staying out of it at this time, but they could easily get sucked in, especially if an outsider provocateur interferes.”<br/><br/>“Which of course,” says the half-orc in a rumbling voice, “is exactly the other thing we are worried about, foreign agents and terrorist factions. The Emerald Claw and the Lord of Blades have both been active around Breland and its only a matter of time before they rear their heads in Sharn. We must be wary of spies from this dimension and they next too. Sharn is fully within a manifest zone, so it feels the manifestations of the planes strongly. And let us not forget those thrice cursed democrats who wish to end the monarchy. They are particularly violent bunch.”<br/><br/>Gerald’s focused has shifted over to the crowd by now, as opposed to the young reader who is describing the many names that Sharn has gone by and the reciting the importance of their meanings in excruciating detail.<br/><br/>“Okay, we’ve got some of the big fish in the game tonight. Everyone’s focus is on the stage by now, they won’t notice us peaking from behind.”<br/><br/>(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/e/e1/M977.jpg)<br/><br/>“There’s Kessler. Watch out for him, slimy bugger. He’s a master of propaganda that one. Loves to satirize anyone he can get barbs into. If, and that’s a big if, you can get on his good side, there’s a useful ally, but do not cross him what so ever. I don’t want my new unit being made a mockery of. He’s got ties to the Trust too, so watch your back, even though they are allies of Breland. You never know with gnomes."<br/><br/>(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/0/0d/Screen_Shot_2014-03-05_at_10.48.27_PM.png)<br/><br/>“The man with the massive sword is Sadral d’Denith, heir of the local conclave. Married, but has a bit of a wandering eye, although it hasn’t got him in trouble yet.”<br/><br/>“Oh, and there’s little miss vicious herself,” chips in Sunshadow.<br/><br/>(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/f/f5/Dnd_pinup_the_halfling_by_everwho-d4fsd9e.jpg)<br/><br/>“I’ve told you to stop calling the councillor that… The halfling woman down there is Ilyra Boromar, the oldest daughter of Saidan Boromar. Unsurprisingly, she can handle herself in a fight, given that she crosses the war as a child to train on the Plains and then cam back.”<br/><br/>(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/8/89/Dnd_frcc_20070711_erudite.jpg)<br/><br/>(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/3/39/Screen_Shot_2014-02-26_at_9.00.51_PM.png)<br/><br/>“These two are interesting. Jorasesh, the ambassador for Redria and his aid, Malesheri. He practically lives in the University, while she is one of the most sought after women in the city amongst the nobles, men and women alike. She turned down every single marriage offer though. They are very, very knowledgable and good contacts to have… and to watch.”<br/><br/>(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/1/14/Rose_red_by_kirschu-d5g4t4y.jpg)<br/><br/>“Oh, and there’s the biggest fish of them all,” notes Gash. “Haydith ir’Wynarn, the sister of King Kaius III. She’s had a pretty slow start here, but she’s becoming very popular. It takes guts for a nineteen year-old to travel across an empire to the court of your enemies and talk peace. She’s a force to be reckoned with I’d say, and one we better protect, unless we want the War breaking out again.”<br/><br/>As if on cue, the young woman looks up an glances at your box, seeing that your gazes are on her.<br/><br/>Gerald leans back into his chair. “Looks like our keynote about to come in and speak. I know we’re giving you lots of information, some of which may be useful, some of which you probably never want to hear again, but I have to say anyhow. Got anything you can think of that needs clearing up?”