Warhammer: Shadows of Empire - Old Friends and New

[Adrian Moss]

"Up the Cup Duty!" shouts one noble. A merchant winces.

"Bring back the Pie Tax!," calls out another. "A penny a pie and we'll pay for those Law Dogs."

"The poor will not be able to eat!" counters a guildsman (Stonecutters). "They will have little choice but to protest ... in the Law Quarter, in front of this august body."

More murmurs about trouble and calling out the militia.

The Priest of Taal rose up and slowly people grew quiet.

"Any tax on the church must be beaten back, for it puts the State over the Faiths. That can not be, for what higher calling is there than to directly serve the Gods who stand as guardians over us in these trying times?"

"On the otherhand, as the God's work in tandem to defeat the forces of the Dark Powers, so should we work as the Faithful to encourage cooperation."

His eyes go from Wolfgang to the High Priest of Sigmar.

"In the spirit of cooperation, I pledge fifty gold crowns to this project to fund if for one year. I call upon all other Major Faiths of Divine and Arcane power to match my pledge for the sake of this city, and it's people. Let us show them that while others bicker over details, we are able to see the bigger picture and act to the benefit of those who souls are put in our keeping."

"In one years time, if this project work, we may decided, on our own, or with consultations, to fund this project for a second year, or hand its fate over to he Parliment. Hopefully then they will be of more than one mind."

The room explodes in murmurs, quick and sometimes violent exchanges and accusations. The Priest of Taal sits down serenely. The Priest of Sigmar looks ready to say something, or vomit. His face is very red.

The Countess remains a mask of calm, but subtle clues can be gained by watching those close to he politically as they scramble about and try to master this new situation.

The city can have it's police force addition, but it will be under religious jurisdiction, not temporal. Or can it?

[Talos]

Mikhail looks to Wolfgang trying to gauge how his friend will react to this newest debacle. He weighs in his mind the risk of a fifty crown payment and what it could mean for the Tower's own future.

[Rorx]

Wolfgang stands and waits for the noise to diminish before speaking, "I fear I must agree with my Brother the Priest of Taal, in one regard at least. I can not agree with the Church's being taxed, not that this isn't a worthy cause but in that it sets a precedent for other cities to do the same for what I fear would be much less worthy causes."

Once again he pauses for any murmuring to die down, "However, I believe that the government should be in charge of this new section of the Watch, they should not be worrying about possible influences of the Churches. In addition I am only newly come to my post, and as such I do not feel comfortable in pledging my Church to such sums without the knowledge of those that sent me, nor checking with the state of our funds. However, i consider this an important step in improving the safety and security of the people of this city, and so I will pledge the first years 50 crowns from my own pocket."

Sitting down he murmurs to Mannfred and Leoni beside him, "I wonder how the Priest of Sigmar will take that!"

[Adrian Moss]

The Sigmarite Priest sputtered and reddened further. The noise of the crowd was loud, but the Priest's voice could carry. He too knew the importance of oratory.

"We understand the poverty of other (lesser) faiths and or belief in the traditions and laws of this city should never stand in the way of what's right. Therefore, the Church of Holy Sigmar will donate 100gc toward this new endeavor meant to create a safer community."

His generousity brought both many cheers and a few hisses. The Church's oppulance was well known and a sore point to many.

The Priestess of Verena stood up and matched the pledge equal to Wolfgang's ... from her own purse. Myrmidia followed suite, while Maanan had to demure, claiming (truthfully) that all of its followers were simple fisher folk. The notoriously cash-strapped Shallyans pledged their fifty, which pointed perhaps to an invisilbe patron. The Cults had spoken and it fell to any strong voice of dissent to keep this matter from becoming law - for a year anyway.

[z-Heln Ironwright]

"Listen to this!" Heln said suddenly. She had passed beyond irritated to angry as she'd watched all of this occur. "All these voices crying out in fear and throwing money at ten new men. Who will they answer to? What will they do once the noble is found? These are questions that the Smiths want answered, and we want those answers before we're burdened with a special watch-force within our city walls.

"Do I sound distrustful of the reasons for this new group? That would be because I am! Why are all the Churches so eager for this? Someone stands to gain, and I do not believe it is the city," Heln said, feeling the phantom sensation of stretching her neck on a block.

"I am all for progress, particularly regarding criminals and their apprehension. But this should not be funded by the churches, so that they can pull and tug the strings of the Watch around. Where were all this money when the western section of the city burned four summers ago, and we had people living in the remains of their houses? Where was this money when the ditches needed digging, or the walls repairing? Why this rush of civic duty? That is the question to answer before we vote on this."

[Adrian Moss]

It was never a good sign to be in the opposition when The Countess stood up. She was immediately recognized to speak. Her gaze locked onto Heln and held her there.

"When your home is burning, do you chastise your neighbor for not bringing the first bucket of water, or are you happy he contributes?"

She waves off any reply.

"When the Guildrow burned four summers back, the Temple of Taal contributed several thousand cord-lengths of lumber. The Sigmarites provided hundred of barrels of beer and paid the cup duty for anyone working to rebuild. The Shallyan's were there helping the hurt and Temple of Maanan convinced the Boatman's guild to bring in imported nails and tools duty free until the Black smithies were back in production."

"The Temple of Verena was able to help the government work out property disputes by provided inexpensive legal advice. The government voted on several low intrest loans."

{while this is true, few things were gifted with no strings attached. The lumber mills all had to be Taal sponsored, the beer was cheap and came with sermons, the Boatman's guild came with political strings attached, and 'cheap' legal aid is a matter of perspective. Only the Shallyans gave freely and that is totally in their natures.

To Wolfgang.}

"We contributed nothing," Mannfred whispers to Wolfgang. "The Previous Lord Fang saw no reason to aid non-worshipers, though the Shallyans personally asked for our assistance."

Not surprisingly, Mannfred seems ashamed. Leoni remains a statue carved out of Ice.

{Back to the lecture!}

"This is not supposed to be a time of division. The Storm of Chaos has just passed our borders. We need to be strong. Chaos Cultists are on the rise. Mutants are on the rise. Now the Temples are stepping up to help the city police itself. I say we give them our support in the same way they have come together to support one another."

"I ask that a vote be called."

She looks at Heln waiting for her to dissent once more. The room stills. This is, as many know, the time for the measure to pass. The Countess rarely supports a measure that will not pass. Moreso, Heln knows the poison. While the Churches don't get a vote, their actions have spread that poison. The poison is something for nothing. The city nobles, merchants, and most guildsmen see themselves getting a special police unit for no cost. If they don't like it, they can get rid of it in one years time. They see it as a win-win. They don't see the problem of money = command.

Does Heln make a stand with her few guild supports and what nobles and merchants she can rally, or does she bow out, allowing this dubious measure pass?

[Rorx]

Wolfgang stands again and nods to Heln, "Honoured Guildmistress, I agree that this section should not be controlled or reporting to the Churches in any way, and have already said so. As to what they should do, I would hope that they might prove more capable at solving crimes once they have been commited than the current force who do in the main what their name suggests and simply Watch. Although if they see or hear a crime being commited I have no doubts that they attempt to stop it and apprehend the criminals."

He turns an icy gaze over those in chamber, "As to why equal money was not forth coming in previous years for those good causes you have listed for me I can not comment as I was not here at the time. I can only say that if I was here than I would have done my best to procure funds for those causes as well. I would remind you all that Wolves are pack animals, and they hunt for the good of the pack, not for an individual."

[Talos]

The headache was starting to form again. Mikhail had been jokign when he told Hetta she was sentancing him to death by bureaucracy but now he feared that his jest might well turn real. The woman from the guild made valid points, who would these new men answer to? How would their honesty be garuanteed? The churches were posturing, each looking to make sure they did not look lacking before the parliment but Mikhail felt that none of them truely wanted to fund this police force.

[z-Heln Ironwright]

"Thank you, your Grace, for making a fair point," Heln said, inclining her head politely to the Countess. "But Your Grace surely remembers that lumber given had to come from Taal's yards, that the beer came with sermons that one had to endure to parch one's thirst and that the Boatmen's oars came tied down with favors."

She spun in a slow circle, her hard eyes scanning the room. It was easy to remember the gossip that said she'd fought in the pits in her youth, and had killed her way out of them. "Nothing is free!" The shout filled the room. "Nothing. Not lumber. Not beer. And definitely not new, specially-trained and expensive Watchmen."

[Talos]

Mikhail nodded in agreement but said nothing instead watching silently. He looked at the woman speaking, Heln he seemed to recall her name to be, and wondered why she appeared familiar. Now he recalled, she had been at the party a few days earlier. He was now wondering just what the Countess had intended when she had told Wolfgang and himself about this vote. What was she playing at? Mikhail studied the situation, the missing woman, a sister of one of the Countess' supporters. The measure; unpopular with anybody who would have to pay, and yet a measure which made sense in terms of what it could do to improve the city if executed properly. Mikhail began to wonder if the Countess cared one way or the other. Regardless she was playing the sides against the center and would likely come out of this on top. Mikhail realized that he was further out of his element than he had previously thought.

[Adrian Moss]

Witht the cry of "Nothing is Free!" the Guilds formed in lock-step with Heln. Eighteen of the twenty merchant families rushed to form a voting bloc with their commercial rivals. Added to them was the hardcare Anti-Kreiglitz-Untern faction of around thirty and the measure was in dire straits.

The Churches couldn't vote, but their supporters amongst the nobles could. So could the solid Pro-Kreiglitz-Untern faction. Few nobles abstained and the vote came down to the final tally.

It failed by three votes. The Countess was handed one of her few setbacks, but she gave no sign of being angry. Instead, she took the defeat in stride and the emergancey session of parliment was brought to an end with some celebration by a few of the participants.

Heln had been part of the opposition in this. She had to wonder what would happen in five days time when parliment was reconvened. The import duties on ores would come up. What were their chances now? Some would see her as The Countess' enemy now, and try to drag her into their voting blocs, but was that were she wanted to be? Could she walk the middle road for the good of her guild ... and her city?

Wolfgang had made a stand of sorts and now had some common ground with his fellow patiarchs (and matriarchs) he could follow up on. The Churches did not have a vote, but they had enormous sway. How could he turn that to his advantage? In five days the parliment would meet again for its monthly session. How could he become more prepared?

Mikhail had survived health relatively intact. He had watched the currents and undercurrents play out while maintaining a mysterious, unfathomed air. How the could translate into helping his school was another matter, but then he had plans in the works that might develop into its own kind of influence. In five days they would do it again. Would he bother attending? Would he send Faust in his absence? Had Hetta displease him enough to be sent instead?

[Talos]

Maintaining what he hoped was a look of dignified disinterest Mikhail crossed the parliamentary floor and mounted the stairs toward the area set aside for the various church representatives. "Lord Fang, I would like to speak to you, if you have the time? It would be an honor to break bread with you this evening."

[Rorx]

Wolfgang keeps a solemn demeanor as he addresses Mikhail, while thinking how they would laugh about this later to the other Priests expense, "Certainly Magister, I am always open to the opinions of our Arcane cousins. Would you prefer to meet at the Temple or the Tower?"

[Talos]

"I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the quality of our fresh produce, my chef is quite talented. Your men are welcome to come of course but I would like to have words with you in provate. I'm sure you understand." Together they return to the Jade Tower and after a breif tour of the living building sit down to a private meal in Mikhail's chambers.

"I wonder what your impression of this evening's events are. I keep going over it all in my head. The way the Countess acted, or rather did not. The way we were approached but not asked to sway the vote in either direction. I am startig to think that perhaps the Countess was playing at a larger game. I don't think she cared one way or the other if the measure passed only that she assauged the fears of her supporter and was able to feel out the churches in regards to how they would react to paying taxes."

[Rorx]

Wolfgang paused to consider briefly before replying, "I think she would have prefered the measure to have passed, but as you say was more interested in larger issues. Of these whether or not she could get away with taxing the churches was certainly a key area of interest for her. Mind you she was also looking at taxing your Order here as well on the matter."

He dug into the excellent food while Mikhail responded, he was quite right they had a talented chef here, better than the team at the Temple, but then they had much fewer to cater for here.

[Talos]

"I'm painfully aware. I'm also painfully aware that this situation has seen us manipulated and I rather dislike it. I have little tolerance for these kinds of games. I would know what the endgame is and what part, if any, I am to play in it." Mikhail grumbled and speared a chunk of meat vicsiously. "I suddenly desire very much to be outnumbered fifty to one once more. I felt as though those odds were more in my favor."