Siege of City Hall, Third Day, Morning
Day II
The Siege of City Hall, or the Rise of the Thalmor: Third Day, Morning
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The mer once again assemble in the hall. Representatives, secondary representatives and guards alike; they have slept poorly. Sleeves are left unbuttoned, robes are ruffled and frustration lies throughout the hall like a giant sleeping senche-tiger.
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EHKI: We may resume the council.
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EHKI: This is our third day of entrapment. Yesterday we covered methods of escaping Naarifin’s ward, none of which proved successful. We must continue to think.
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EHKI: Second representatives, remember that you may speak at any time. We heard none of you last session, and I am confident that your input will be useful.
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EHKI: The Council is now open.
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SECOND OF HERITANCE: If you insist. Let this be a long council today, Ald-Altadon, and practical. We should not cut it short as we did last time.
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SHOHIL: While I agree, this is why we mustn’t let our anger take control. It is clear that our lady the Ald-Altadon adjourns the Council only when discussion starts to overheat.
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OGALMO: She also bid us speak freely, however. Look to the mer next to you, everyone, and think of your attitude towards them. Without formality, heat is only natural.
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RELENYA: Let it be what it is. Now is not the time to discuss the Council itself, direly threatened from the outside, when the inside must act as a strong unit.
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SECOND OF HERITANCE: I agree. The ward may be revealing certain weak points of the City Hall, but it’s the ward itself we need to focus on. We must continue.
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RELENYA: Certainly. Now, last session, we mentioned magicka draughts. If we could find a strong enough dosage, would it not hold off the ward’s silencing properties well enough to allow teleportation?
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HECEDNIL: If we do have such luck, it would not be enough for more than one person to teleport.
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SECOND OF THALMOR: Even one person outside the ward would be an advantage.
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SECOND OF ALDMERIS: Not to put down the ward. They are legion out there; one outside would probably be killed.
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HECEDNIL: Not to put down the ward, of course, but if we managed to keep that one mer safe, or able to teleport…
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OGALMO: The chances are slim.
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RELENYA As is any chance of escaping this madness. Hecednil, I believe I see what you imply. A foothold past the ward, no matter how small, is nothing but good.
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OGALMO: We could have outside aid. Not the City Guard; it pains me to guess that we have lost them.
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HECEDNIL: Would you suggest contacting the Cabal headquarters?
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OGALMO: It is either those or even further, Sunhold, the more-or-less loyal industrial centre. There are risks in seeking aid within Alinor.
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RELENYA: I agree that the headquarters are a gamble. For all we know, half of them are occupied with sieges of their own.
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RELENYA: And I shall be blunt – if that is the case, it would include my Cabal. And yours too, Hecednil.
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HECEDNIL: Do you propose, then, that we seek out the headquarters of the Ald Aldmeris, Heritance and such?
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OGALMO: I surely hope that my Cabal cares to see me safe out of this place, if that is what you mean. I doubt that any Cabal has turned against the Council with the knowledge that their leader is trapped inside.
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RELENYA: You have reason. This probably remains an army affair, though citizens may have joined in. One can only imagine the turbulence on the streets; it has been nearly three days, after all.
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FIRST GUARD: Then let us act. I’ll search the storage for potions.
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SECOND OF HERITANCE: No need; I will search.
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The second representative of the Veiled Heritance Cabal rises from his seat and enters the basement.
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HECEDNIL: Relenya, your point about the headquarters is not one to be ignored. Their current state is somewhat of a mystery. I wonder, then; would a scrying spell not be useful?
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RELENYA: Perhaps. We must be careful in choosing the one to venture outside the ward and where they will go for aid. Our resources, however, are limited.
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OGALMO: It would be wise to send a representative to the headquarters of their own Cabal.
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SECOND OF ALDMERIS: It definitely would be, and I volunteer to take this risk. As we have deduced, my Cabal or Shohil’s would be the safer choices, given their friendlier relations with the City Guard.
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OGALMO: It should be one of us, yes. To me, it matters not which one.
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HECEDNIL: Lord Ogalmo, I must object to such rash decisions. After all, it is your Cabal that maintains the tradition of manipulating the Council, working underneath it for its own gain.
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HECEDNIL: It is you who tolerates the City Hall parliament for its lenience, and little more.
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HECEDNIL: With all due respect, how may we trust your concern for freeing us from this predicament? When you, or Shohil, have much to gain – dare I say it – in supporting Naarifin? In turning your cloak to the City Guard?
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RELENYA: Lord Hecednil! That is enough out of you. Do you want everything to descend into chaos?
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HECEDNIL: Forgive me. All I see is chaos, as it is.
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[This day will be continued.]