Jackal Among Snakes

When Argrave touched the Ravenstone where the Alchemist was held, he received no response. That was even more terrifying than barbed words of hatred, and he vaguely feared the next time he would let the raven out of the stone, so to speak. He felt there might be a reckoning in store for using him as a verbal punching bag before thousands.

Therapont, though he had poised himself in opposition to Argrave’s proposal, proved a very hospitable host. Perhaps that was the true reason Alexius had left Argrave and Melanie in his charge. Upon request, the dwarven senator obliged Argrave and gave them a tour of his home. Whether it was his mushroom gardens or his personal study, he showed all of it. This proved to be very contrary to his interests, as when they were finally free of both Therapont’s escorts and the guards assigned by the senate… Melanie could open a portal anywhere in his home, as she had walked through there.

And Therapont, as a hugely influential diamond-wreathed senator, could be the key they needed to break this dwarven puzzle box.

“Yeah, I can hear him,” Melanie told Argrave, standing in this cramped dwarven guest bedroom while he sat on the bed. If Argrave stood, he had to bend his neck slightly to avoid bumping into something. “They took some paranoid measures to keep your hearing out, but I can just make a portal and listen in fine. I think he’s getting some people together to discuss this debate’s strategy.”

“Good. Excellent,” Argrave praised her quickly. “I honestly don’t know how pivotal this debate is going to be, but I want you to listen to everything he’s saying and catch me up when I come back.”

Melanie blinked. “You’re leaving me here?”

“Yeah. I need to find out who precisely this Dario is. I have some suspicions about who it might be, just going off the fact that this person both tried to undermine me and is doing something that a player character commonly does… but I have too little information. I wrote down a little list of people that were advocating for Dario at the meeting. I want to speak to them, with our little dwarven friend’s help—or at the very least, try.”

“Alright. Not very comfortable letting you go out there alone, but I guess you’re not a little kid.” She waved him away. “Well, let me eavesdrop. And be very careful not to make noise when you come back—these portals convey sounds two ways, you know.”

Argrave pointed at her in confirmation as he ducked very low through the door. On the other side, there was a familiar face waiting for him.

“King Argrave…!” greeted Anestis in surprise. “One of our employees said you wished to speak with me. Why in the blazes are you here, sir? Your nation, your country—”

“Can manage without me.” Argrave hushed him with a raised finger as he shut the door to their room behind him. “Forget me—I’m glad you came. Trifon is helpful, yes, but I had something else in mind. Glad I could find you here, of all places.”

“Did you forget Therapont is my father?” He looked down the hallway, where the senate guards stood, but turned back to Argrave. “I told him everything in some hope that he might be your advocate here. Instead… I was just fueling his opposition.” He leaned in close, and Argrave crouched lower to accommodate the shorter man. “My father intends to use your personal character as the crux for much of his arguments. And I’m afraid I told him much, both sordid and superb.”

Argrave considered that in silence for a few moments, then shrugged. “You meant well. But seeing as you’re so grief-stricken, perhaps you can make it up to me. Dario—I need to learn all I can about him, while hopefully dissuading some of the opposition. If you’re a senator’s son, you hopefully have a senator’s connections.”

up at Argrave. “I’m afraid I was more the black sheep of the family than anything,

an audience.” Argrave

#####

he allowed Anestis to lead the conversation, acting as though their group came here as ‘Therapont’s son’ rather than ‘the foreign Advocate, Argrave.’ All Anestis asked

if their faces did turn to stone once Argrave revealed himself. Some of the

he was without magic. That ruled a great many of Argrave’s candidates out. Three, he claimed to be a knight serving a higher master. As

by Argrave’s opinion. But one detail, confirmed by all six parties, dashed his hopes against the stones. Dario did not want

remarkably disheartening news that did make Argrave go back to his original suspicion—that Dario was Dimocles, the only one of the nine player characters unaccounted for. He had a reason to hate Argrave—not only had Argrave pillaged his collection, he’d ruined his relationship with Erlebnis and then afterward betrayed him by refusing to return the artifacts he’d stolen. It had been scummy, but that sociopath had deserved no less. Certainly, bizarre artifacts like an arm-mounted crossbow sounded like something that deranged collector might get his hand

Argrave’s intuition suggested that it wasn’t Dimocles’ doing—neither as Dario,

after the first six meetings, Anestis couldn’t catfish any bigshots to pay for their dinner at the nice dwarven restaurant again. Their little scheme had been exposed, and word spread to anyone else they might attempt to hook. The operation fell to pieces as quickly

have tanked my reputation as someone who cooperates with a surface-dweller,” Anestis mused as he and Argrave finally managed to enjoy the food of the place they’d

of the energy from lava—he wondered what that might do to the taste. He looked up to lock eyes with the dwarf. “If

has had three careers in his lifetime. He was a miner—working long, hard hours, until his joints gave way. Then, he became an engineer and an artificer, working to perfect the various machines that keep this city running. After all of that, he became a politician.” The dwarf raised his big hands. “In every single path, he became a master. He’s one

into the meat, testing it with

debater that most dwarves swear they’ve ever seen.” Anestis shook

keeping Anestis’ gaze all the while. “Was he in

what?” Anestis leaned

days. Then I got shamed by another debater and left.” Argrave chuckled. “What I’m saying is—I might

only belied a mind working very hard to think of how he might touch the hearts of these philosophical and isolationist dwarves. He knew

#####

all of yesterday. He and Melanie had thoroughly reviewed Therapont’s strategy. It did honestly surprise Argrave how much the senator knew. Anestis hadn’t been lying in saying he’d disclosed everything to his father.

stood side by side on the central platform, all of the senate

proposal by Argrave to break dwarven neutrality will be the prime discussion of today’s meeting. To firmly establish both positions, a debate will occur

Then, we both strive to