Chapter 315: The Emperor's Birthday, (3)
While official Imperial paperwork could take months or even years to work its way through the system, rumors and gossip flew quickly. The news of a Legion of Gnomish Lawyers toppling the Emperor from his throne over an overdue bill spread to the entire city in only half a bell. It was such an outlandish bit of rumor that half of those hearing it simply laughed. Knowing the Emperor's fondness for joining the Legion in his youth, others decided it must be an elaborate birthday joke. A few scrambled to get the truth, sensing a chance to profit from the affair.
At the elaborate party held at the townhouse of Baron Brownridge, the news was greeted with a mixture of curiosity and avarice. The attendees were split evenly between lesser nobles and high-level bureaucrats. Each group considered themselves naturally superior to the others, and their business relationships were driven equally by greed and mutual disdain. But the news from the court united them in the need to know more. In times of chaos, there was power to grab and money to be made. Several people dispatched messengers to gather information.
Baron Brownridge arrived unexpectedly at his home. He was expected to be in the palace attending great court for most of the evening. He had barely arrived home when a crowd of peers and sycophants surrounded him, asking for details. "Back away and give a man room. You're like a gaggle of squawking geese!" Two men, wiser than others, ignored the order, and as the rest of the crowd moved away, they stepped forward.
Manfred poured a large brandy snifter and handed it to the Baron while Theordis held out a box of cigars. "We decided to bring you some small gifts. It seems you are in dire need of them."
Brownridge smiled and happily accepted both. These two might be a pair of amoral lackeys trying to suck up to more powerful people, but they had good taste and knew what he liked. Brownridge had been doing 'business' with them for two decades, and in that time, the three of them had developed a lopsided friendship.
"I am indeed; the court was anything but boring. Now, let us retire to the parlor, and I'll give you the juicy details. It was worth sitting through an hour-long lesson in gnomish genealogy to see the last act of the drama." The three strolled into the parlor, followed by another dozen people. The rest were turned away to wait in the ballroom for the news to reach them.
Angus McCree, Baron of Brownridge, sat by the fire, drank half his glass of brandy in one long swallow, then held it out for a refill.
"You should have seen it! Charles sat there wondering what present his little visitors would give him, only to have a 7th Tier Lawyer hand him a tax bill and insist he be hauled off to serve in the Legion. Marvelously done."
"The Emperor didn't laugh in their faces and send them packing back to Cinderstein?"
"Oh, he laughed but certainly couldn't ignore the jest. Think about it! No lawyer of that level would come to court with a flimsy case. And from what I heard, it was legitimate. Someone paid their taxes with an artifact. It should have been immediately appraised, and the excess value added to their account. Instead, Duke Carl sent tax collectors to the village, not knowing that their taxes were already paid. The gnomes got ahold of the tax bill somehow. Since Charles was the new owner of the item, they must have sent a message to the Office of Acquisitions that it was his responsibility. They, of course, dithered, giving that Lawyer his opening to declare Charles to be delinquent."
Baronet Silverstein was trying to follow the logic. "So he does owe the tax, he is delinquent, and by his own laws, he gets dragged off to the Legion?"
"Yes, I believe that was what I said. There must be an echo in this room. I suppose it helps that Charles loved the idea and rushed off to drink all night with his army buddies and avoid court. He dumped it all into Duke Carl's lap. Carl couldn't insult the gnomes and had to follow through with the Emperor's orders. It was delightful. He kicked us all out of the throne room as soon as he could, and now he gets to argue with gnomes. That's not a fight he can win. They have the patience of a dragon guarding a hoard and the tenacity to match. And gods above?! That lawyer! Can you imagine trying to match wits with such a foe? Carl is smart, and Claudia can match a gnome in tenacity, but even together, it doesn't look like a fair fight. I simply can't wait to hear more."
Theordis looked at Manfred, who shrugged and asked a question. "Did you happen to hear who the artifact came from?"
Angus laughed and started choking on his cigar. He waved away aid, recovered, and kept laughing. "That's the best part! It was Baron William who set the whole thing up. The balls on that man! He wasn't even invited to the event, yet he puts himself in the spotlight and snubs them all. If he wasn't trying to steal my business, I'm sure we could be good friends."
"The artifact had to have come from him; no other noble controls such an assortment of high-level dungeons. But instead of using it, he had the mayor of one of his villages turn it over to pay her taxes. It would have covered what she owed for decades. That gave him time to set up the next part. He must have known about the tax increase and somehow arranged for the Office of Acquisition to try and collect taxes. When the Mayor got served with a tax bill, William hired the gnomes to be part of his scheme and flip the taxes back on the Emperor. I have no idea what game the man is playing, but he may have severely weakened Charles's power, at least temporarily."
Manfred and Theordis quietly stepped from their chairs to stand by the fire, their spots instantly filled by others who discussed with Baron Brownridge the political implications of the event.
Manfred was cursing softly, but Theordis was smiling. "Don't be so nervous. We may have been the spark that started this, but it's a major opportunity. The Imperial Faction has been dealt a major blow, and the other groups will come to know our part in doing it. We can exploit that."
Manfred wasn't so sure. "You think so? But what about the other side? If the Emperor doesn't call for our heads, Duke Carl might. And don't forget who engineered this. Baron William would love to see us drawn and quartered."
"Then we'll just have to work hard to ensure that the Baron of Gadobhra stays crippled with no trade and no one traveling to his Barony. His grand plan to rebuild Rowan Keep will fail, and someone else will be Baron. That person will owe us many favors, as will Brownridge and the others in his faction. I suggest that early tomorrow morning, we start traveling to some of the villages on our lists of targets. That will keep us ahead of a ducal summons and keep us out of any investigation until after things blow over."
Manfred nodded. "That could work. Once this party breaks up, we can leave town and stay away for months. Hard-working clerks from the Office of Acquisition, doing our thankless jobs." They clinked glasses in a small toast to celebrate being one step ahead of everyone else.
There was a loud knock on the door, followed by a butler slipping inside. "Pardon me, your excellency, but you have visitors: A dozen Imperial Legionnaires, Centurion Julio, and Inquisitor Diego. They appeared at the door, unexpectedly, of course, and are demanding an audience."
Everyone in the room paled. It was a rare man who didn't have something to hide. Angus rose to his feet, forcing himself to smile. "We shouldn't keep them waiting; please show them in."
Within a minute, the doors opened again, and a smiling Inquisitor in a red robe entered the room next to an un-smiling and silent centurion. "Greetings, Lord Angus. Our apologies for the disruption, but I'm sure you understand that tonight is host to a number of strange events. I require the presence of two of your guests at the palace. Duke Carl has questions about their actions in the town of Sedgewick." He turned to Manfred and Theordis. "Come along, boys; you don't want to make things difficult for me."
Angus raised an eyebrow, putting small details together. "You two? I should have known. Please, Inquisitor, they are all yours. I only ask for a full report on the proceedings in court since these two have involved me, if only peripherally, in this sordid affair."
The Inquisitor paused and looked at Baron Angus for several heartbeats. "Very kind of you, your excellency, and don't worry. We will be talking with you soon, I'm sure of it."
While Manfred looked stricken, Theordis lost his temper. He'd later blame it on the brandy and not convince even himself. "This is outrageous! You don't have the right to arrest an agent of the Office of Acquisition. I am an agent of the Emperor, not some Ducal lacky that Carl can order around. I demand to know the charges!" Manfred was taken from the room by two soldiers, escorted politely but firmly. When two more attempted to grab Theordis, he shook them off, and Diego waved them back.
Diego advanced slowly, his hands behind his back. Theordis felt a great weight settle upon him, and he could only focus on the Inquisitor, who seemed to grow larger and larger. He fell backward into a chair as his legs gave way. Sweat poured from his brow, and the memories of everything he was ever guilty of rose to the front of his memory. He clapped his hands over his mouth to keep his rebellious tongue from shouting out his guilt.
The light in the room dimmed, and Diego's voice became powerful and deep. "The charges? They are many. Embezzlement of Imperial Funds. Corruption of an Imperial Office, Theft of Imperial Goods. Sale of stolen property. Extorting local Imperial Servants to further enrich yourself. Those are just the basics. The Village of Sedgewick has also filed charges of Drunkenness and amoral acts involving a juvenile pig."
The Inquisitor paused to let his accusations take root, then continued. "And those are just the small crimes. You are accused of using extortion to gain access to a Gnomish Bank, weakening the entire Imperial Banking System and causing a serious breach in the trust between the Empire and the Gnomes of Cinderstein. That, sir, is Treason."
The room was dead silent. Diego snapped his fingers, and four soldiers rudely grabbed Theordis and took him, along with Manfred, to carriages waiting for them. Each was placed in a separate carriage with two soldiers, an inquisitor, and a scribe.
Diego stayed a bit longer and turned to Baron Angus. "My apologies for the disruption of your party, my lord."
Angus didn't seem offended at all. "No need for an apology, Inquisitor. You are doing the Emperor's work. If anything, your visit is the highlight of the evening, both entertaining and educational. Everyone needs a reminder of what happens when they get caught."
Diego bowed and left with the remaining soldiers. He boarded the carriage with Manfred inside. "We have a little time before arriving at the palace. Is there anything you'd like to tell me before we get there? I have a written statement from another of your group, Geoffrey. He seems to think Theordis Thancton orchestrated this entire affair. Would you agree to that? I'm sure that your confession will make you feel much better and mitigate some of the blame."
Manfred nodded. "Yes, I do feel the need to tell you a few things. Could we take the long way to the palace? It may take some time?"
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