Chapter 2: Execution

Renfield was contemplating his fate. He sat outside the cell waiting for word that the prisoners were regaining consciousness, as he mulled over the befuddling information that had been presented to him.

The soldier who had escorted him to the three “suspects” was named Sorbic, or some bumpkin name not worthy of more thought. Sorbic had handed him two documents to look over. The first was a general order given to the Guardians of Ripple. It was a rushed document that read as follows:

“ By the Official Order of the Mayor;

Any person who has made contact with the following individuals, or those who may know their current location, will present their findings to the Official Aide of the Mayoral office. Information should be given to Aide Alder Hensrich immediately. Anyone found withholding pertinent knowledge will be punished swiftly & with no regard for mercy.

There are three dwarven suspects wanted for questioning. They were last seen in Lower Ripple two days passed.

The first suspect appears to be 45 years of age. Short dusty brown hair. Standing between 14 and 15 hands high. He was last seen in white and red hued Scale armor with leather strappings. He is armed with a large Warhammer, and a shield bearing an emblem of Hammer and Anvil.

Suspect number two appears 35 years of age, young for a dwarf. She is 13 hands high. She was last seen in dirty green robes. She has a disheveled demeanor and is armed with a quarterstaff. She is a known magic user who was detained for public enchantment.

Suspect three is the eldest of the three. He appears to be in his late 50’s and has long red hair. Approximately 15 hands tall, he is believed to be a trained hunter and tracker. His weapon was a longbow made of blackened wood.

If spotted, do not try to detain. To repeat DO NOT DETAIN. The proper authorities will be available in short order to make the arrest. As the arrest is in progress send word to Specialist Renfield and prepare a cell.

Scribed by Aide Alder Henrich. On behalf of Mayoral Office of Ripple on this day…”

At the bottom of the order was a hurredly scrawled signature, that Renfield could barely decipher as the mayor's name. The seal of approval on the order, however, was unquestionable, a direct order from the Mayor. A rarity indeed. Strange and curious…

The Second paper presented to him by Sorbic was no clearer in intent. It had been in a sealed envelope, again the wax Mayoral Seal in all of it’s golden splendor tacked the paper closed. It was untampered, on the outside it read

“For the Eyes of Specialist Renfield only.”

Renfield had read the original order in Sorbic’s presence.

“So you spotted the suspects?”

Renfield had asked.

Sorbic cleared his throat.

“I did. We were down at George’s Inn playing cards, I stepped outside for a smoke. Wish I hadn’t, been running around all night. Not that…”

Renfield interrupted him, he was not interested in personal anecdotes.

“So you went to Alder yourself, what did he say to you?”

“Aide Henrich…” Sorbic chided cautiously. “said thank you. Handed me some gold for my troubles. Then he sent for the mayor’s personal body guards. I came here to get the cell ready. Remly is watching them right now.”

Then Sorbic had handed him the second order.

“He gave this to me to pass to you. He told me to say ‘Read it alone’, so I’d be much appreciated if you waited till I was…”

Renfield nodded dismissively at the man's poor grammar while teetering down the slate grey staircase.

“Yes. Of course.”

So Renfield had waited, with questions swirling in his head, until Sorbic relieved Remly of his post. The hall was empty when Renfield removed the mayoral seal. The message read-

“ Any information requisitioned by you, Specialist Renfield, should be reported to the Mayor directly.

Inquire on the following; use any means necessary:

- The name of the group they are associated with & who they answer to.

- What they were doing in Milquad.

- How they came in possession of the hammer.

- Who they are.

- What they were doing in Wave.

- Who they have associated with since coming to Ripple.

- What is their mission.

- What they found at the tower. The contents of the scrolls in their possession.

When you are finished, report to the mayor’s office for a reward.”

So Renfield sat. Contemplating his fate.

There was an intentionally small amount of context provided for this situation. No charges levied, no true crimes acknowledged, no reason anywhere for the fate that was to befall them. However; Renfield had managed to glean a few terrifying truths from the documents in his hands.

The party that awaited his inquiry was led by a member of a very powerful Dwarven Kingdom, located underneath a great mountain. The sigil of a Hammer & Anvil on a white background belongs to the Frostforge Clan. The family had recently emerged triumphant in a bloody civil war between the cousin family, the Verglas Clan. The dispute was over wealth, as most wars are, specifically the exclusive trading rights with a wealthy Elven country.

Renfield remembered back to the paper he had read on the subject. The Verglas Clan had begun to push Frostforge workers out of the shared mines and tunnels five years prior. They had begun taking strategic positions in the caves towards the Northern Section of caverns under Blizzard Peak. This particular cave passage was important because it led through the mountain to to the Port, all materials mined in the mountain were taken on this route to sea. The Frostforge name retaliated, taking back productive mines from Verglas and using it as leverage. Years passed as peaceful ends were attempted. Treaties broken and tensions rising, the Elven Kingdom remained neutral, waiting for the victor to claim the contract. And that they did. The war had finally come to an end only one year ago. The Frostforge were now the ruling family under the mountain.

And one of them was behind that door awaiting Renfield’s kit. Which put him in a bit of a situation…

Dwarves hate torture. It seems a foolish statement to make, but Renfield understood the truth fully. Nobody enjoyed it, excepting of course maybe himself, but the Dwarven race looked down on it more than the other races. In a family such as the Frostforge Clan to the north, torture would never be used in this situation. Empty words like "Honor" are important to Dwarves, they use them as vessels for their true nature. Violence. If you want to start a war with a dwarf king, a good place to start would be to torture his family members. And Renfield would be the first pawn to fall.

Renfield was breaking into a cold, nauseous sweat. His mind continued to reel…

He was dead either way, so was Sorbic. Likely Remly would be wise to stay on his toes as well. This information doesn’t get out. The mayor had used his own personal militia to capture the prisoners, had set up a series of fail safes to control the damage afterwards. Plausible deniability, a classic political technique, but why?

The question still remained. Why? Why risk this? To what end?

Renfield was going to find out. Then he would be killed.

He thought of fleeing from the situation, but Sorbic was just feet away with the door cracked. Renfield could see the sliver of light stabbing from the open door. 'No doubt Alder had told Sorbic to make sure I followed through on my part.' He conluded to himself. And although Renfield was deft with a knife, Sorbic was a powerful looking man who would easily take Renfield in any physical altercation.

So for now, Renfield sat. And suffered from panic attacks while contemplating his fate, as well as the Mayor's definition of the word 'reward'.

From inside, Sorbic's voice.

"She's awake."

Renfield's scar flared; he rubbed it with gloved hand.