Setting the Stage

Tomorrow is the trial

• The day after tomorrow is the drawing of lots and the casting of votes for the following offices (note that the City Attorney [vote] and the Courts [lot] have already been selected):
  • 5 Council members, who guide the work of the assembly (lot): 1 year
    • Clerks (lot): 1 year
    • Ambassadors to various nation-states (lot): 1 year
    • 10 Generals (vote): 1 year, can be re-elected (Leandro is likely to be re-elected)
    • 1 Treasurer (vote): 1 year, cannot be re-elected
      • Candidates:
        • Livius Cratius, scholar (yo, what if you had enough zombies to elect you)
        • Calantha Aran, council member (has a gang, surrounded your team on the docks when you returned from Aurochs Island)
• Hespero has no accusations against him
• Hespero also still has the devils ore. You are unaware of his plans for it, other than what you had originally discussed
• The Ambassador does know that you prevented them from acquiring the devils ore
• [[ Pinot Merlot ]], the Mineosi counsel, has offered to drop charges against you if you flip on Hespero
• Malbec Riesling has six weeks before he must complete his ritual to allow Zulon and his devils in for one night

Outline:

• Abe gets closer to his master’s murderer
• The gang goes to trial
• Pinot Merlot reveals his main piece of evidence: a piece of memory from the Ambassador wherein the gang beat the Ambassador up
• Hespero will be testifying against them, as a doppelganger, but the gang refuses to turn on him
• The gang decimates most the witnesses by revealing their perjury
• A pair of wheelbarrows with the Mineosi guards the gang murdered comes up, throwing the trial into chaos
• The gang makes their case, with the help of Taedor’s testimony, that by beating the Ambassador, they were saving Fornorio, who was trapped in the hivemind of the Ambassador
• Damfina Colodrise is dramatically arrested at the end of the trial for possession of a magical item and suspicion of espionage
• “Hespero” is accused of being a doppelganger and a Mineosi sympathizer, since the real Hespero would not help Mineos due to his consistent undermining of their efforts (in particular, the devils ore incident)
• “Hespero” accuses Sora of being a Werriadi spy.
  • The last thing Owlicious saw was a tiger paw swiping at it, to death
• Trial to reconvene in one week. The gang must bring evidence to corroborate Taedor’s story and to solidify the leap made in the trial that the Mineosi were sponsoring the body farming to acquire bodies for the hivemind Ambassadors
• Tomorrow is the drawing of lots and the votes
• 39 days to Zulon’s arrival

No You’re Out of Order!

You all defended yourselves admirably against the arguments of the mind flayer Pinot Merlot. You resisted his appeals to turn on Hespero and poked holes by dismantling each witness’s testimony and using the time-honored tool of xenophobia. Public opinion has turned in your favor in this case. 

“Hespero” (really a doppelganger) testifies against you and outs Sora as a spy; however, his identity is thrown into question after the gang suggests that the real Hespero would never side with the Mineosi, given his constant undermining of their position.

Taedor is brought to the stand and provides testimony regarding the body-farming to shore up the gang’s defense that they were rescuing a trapped person, part of the Ambassador hive mind. The gang must bring evidence to corroborate Taedor’s story. Trial is reconvening in one week.

Damfina has been arrested for possessing a magical item and under suspicion of espionage. The city attorney will be further investigating her. 

Owlicious’s recon mission ended with him being destroyed by a tiger paw.

After the trial

The city attorney Nestor Domorosi and General Leandro Damaskenos are at odds regarding the Mineosi interference into Argotian affairs. Nestor is a Mineosi sympathizer (and likely the reason the Mineosi had standing in Argotian court in the first place).

If the allegations of body farming are true, the Assembly would have to decide on what to do to proceed regarding the Mineosi.

Werriadi ambassador Kaolina Serrat has met with General Leandro.

Today the Assembly convenes and is the drawing of lots and the votes.

Today Hespero will speak to the Assembly regarding the deal with the Duergar.

38 days to Zulon’s arrival.

Election Day

The auditorium is packed. The air is humid from the hundreds of people crammed into the bleachers. At the far end of the room, there is a box with benches within where five people sit, nervously staring around. A dwarf in his 60’s stands between the box and a table where two urns sit, one black, one white. He faces the audience and clears his throat nervously as everyone quiets down.

• The heroes Gangs of New York some thugs outside the Assembly Hall (only Abe and Livius are allowed in since Sora and Casimir are not citizens)
• “Hespero” gives an impassioned speech against the Mineosi

Fellow citizens, it is good to see you all on this glorious day. This day when we adhere to our time-honored traditions and select those who will lead us into tomorrow.

I am here to make an offer to the citizenry, to the people. Being so authorized by the City Council and a majority of the Ten Generals, I ventured to Aurochs Island to broker a deal with the dwarves there, who mine a strange substance known as devils ore. With the Mineosi absent, I feel safe to tell you that they desire this substance, and I have been informed by wizards from distant lands who come to visit my residence, that this substance is quite valuable.

With this contract, we have exclusive rights to devils ore at a very small price compared to what we can sell it for. The taxes coming out of my coffers will be sufficient to pay for it, I promise that.

I offer to you, fellow citizens, a chance to undermine the Mineosi, even as they now seek to extradite and try our own citizens in their courts! Today it is them; tomorrow it may be you. I entreat you, therefore, to vote aye and ratify this contract, putting behind it the full force of the Argotian Navy.

The council puts it to a voice vote and enough people vote so that it passes. The contract with the Duergar is ratified

Leandro gives an impassioned speech in favor of allying with the Werriadi. The Werriadi have offered to provide aid when requested in exchange for a favorable trade deal, allowing foreign goods to enter Argot at lower prices. The upside would be defense against the existential threat of Mineos.

Leandro argues that Argot can still try to unite the Golden League and that the concessions are not so bad.

The assembly narrowly ratifies the agreement.

Livius is selected by lot as an ambassador and assigned to establish the new embassy on Aurochs Island to deal with the new Duergar contract

With the selection of an Ambassador to Aurochs Island, [[ Pinot Merlot ]] comes to visit you all. He says that since there will be an embassy made to Aurochs Island and that there is a treaty established with the Werriadi, the Ambassador has dropped the charges in court.

The Ambassador has told me to relay to you that they are “very disappointed in you,” that you are “foolish for trusting Hespero,” and that they hope you “enjoy all of the war and destruction and death because you’re going to get it.” The Deathless One will be sending a formal declaration of war soon. Sorry to have to break that to you all. Here is my card, if you need to get in touch.

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