Recruiting the Faithful

[mcian]

His favorite robe was tattered and stained; his eye blackened and most of his body bruised and battered from last night's thrashing by the Emerald Fist at the church service. Never had he been so humiliated and never had he been so provoked. Silenus had escaped but not before signing over the property of the Winery and environs to the Abbey. That much had been accomplished. Now it was time to rectify the injustice of the sacrilegious perpetrators who dared call themselves "good."

Dipping his quill into the inkwell, he considered momentarily the wording of the flyer he intended to write and then proceeded:

"To all who love the Light of the Virtues; who would defend Empath Abbey from pillage and desecration, your services are requested!

Last eve saw the unprovoked, premeditated, and willful attack upon the Abbot and members of his fellowship by a renegade band of bloodthirsty marauders. This cannot stand unavenged!

If you present yourselves inside to the Grand Inquisitor's representative, you will be inducted into service of the Abbey for its defense. Pay is substantive, but more so is the blessing of the Abbot and the greater blessing of exculpating your sins by trading your services to the Abbey's employ. Once you have been interviewed and accepted, you will be enlightened and well supplied for the objectives.

May the blessing of the Abbot and the Virtues rest upon thee, to strengthen and protect thee, ye who volunteer to serve!

All blessing to the ankh!

The Grand Inquisitor"

Satisfied with his workmanship, the Inquisitor handed the parchment to an underling. "Make copies. Post them about the Abbey and the Winery, and trees by the moon gate, as we now own all of it."

The acolyte bowed his head. "As ye wish your excellency!"

[mcian]

It was a bright and beautiful morning in Yew as Itannar made the circuit of his first patrol.  Stopping near the moon gate, he noticed a fluttering leaflet tacked to a tree.  Frowning, he dismounted, removed the parchment, and read it.  His frown changing to a scowl, he folded it and placed it in a pocket.  Getting back astride his mount, he sped away toward Empath Abbey...

"Where may I find the Grand Inquisitor?" he asked the first acolyte he met as he entered.  "I must speak to him at once."  The monk nodded and led him to an upstairs desk where the gentleman in question sat writing in a book.  At their approach, the Inquisitor raised his head and let the stylus fall to the desk.  "Who is this?" he asked the acolyte.

"This is Captain-Warden Itannar.  He wishes to speak with you."

The Inquisitor nodded and waved the man away.  "Please be seated m'lord.  What do you wish to see me about?"

Itannar remained standing.  He brought out the parchment and dropped it on the table.  "This.  It is unlawful to post messages or anything to any of the trees.  It can damage them and it is unsightly besides.  You may pin them to the Abbey all you wish, but refrain from sticking them onto the trees."

"Oh, forgive sire!  I did not know."

Itannar nodded.  "I thought not, but now you do."

"I shall surely comply, and thank you."

Itannar hesitated.

"Is there anything else m'lord?"

"Yes, there is.  I want to know who you are and what precisely is your occupation here.  For many years there has been no such person as you hereabouts.  The title of Inquisitor signifies some kind of interrogation official and has an ominous ring to it.  Who hired you or invited you to come here?  What is it that you do?  I ask this not only out of curiosity but as an administrative official designated as a guardian of this city, per Governor Idril's express appointment."

The Inquisitor chuckled.  "My lord, I am here to assist in correcting matters of policy per the direction of his Excellency, Abbot Costello.  He needed someone to help him clear out the perpetrators of decadence and corruption that have overtaken this place since the last regime's occupation.  It is an unenviable task, and one that I do not relish.  My name is withheld because no one must know who I am lest they seek to find members of my family to threaten or harm.  Surely you understand this?"

Itannar nodded.  "I do not mind that, but what of your methods of "interrogation" and removing "corruption?"

Smiling slightly, he replied, "We use gentle persuasion; we appeal to the tender heart of the transgressor inciting only the desire to mend one's ways.  I am no brute m'lord.  You can see from my physical appearance I could not harm anyone."

Itannar looked at the mace lying on the table.  "Is that named "gentle persuasion" perhaps?

"Nay m'lord.  It is a mere symbol of authority.  I do not use it on anyone."

"If I examined it for blood stains, would I find any?"

Extending his hand toward the item, the Inquisitor offered it to him.  "Do as ye will."

Itannar obliged, picking it up.  "I will get it back to you as soon as possible."

"You are taking it?"

Itannar nodded.  "I have means to examine it beyond what the eyes can see.  It won't be damaged I assure you.  You don't mind, do you?"

Adeptly concealing his concern, he shook his head.  "No, by all means do so," he replied, smiling briefly.

Itannar nodded.  "Thank you.  I will be going.  Please do not forget about the flyers.  I want them all removed from the trees by the end of this week, no less.  There will be a fine for each one I find thereafter."

The Inquisitor nodded.  "I shall see to it immediately.  Good day m'lord, and may the blessing of the ankh shine upon thee."

Fighting to refrain from an eye roll, Itannar bowed his head slightly and departed.

[mcian]

Upon receiving letters from Governor Idril, Itannar responded, suggesting the Abbot be moved to Glengarry instead of the Yew prison, placing him under house arrest.  She agreed.  He had returned to the Warden barracks but was preparing to fulfill the plan when the door opened and in rushed his second-in-command, Warden Jared, breathless and having the look of one who had just awoke from a nightmare.

"What is it, Jared?  You look like you mean business," Itannar noted.

"Sir, come quickly!  The Abbot was found dead in his cell!  We have moved nothing until I spoke to you," he blurted out.

Eyes wide with shock, Itannar nodded and both of them sped to the Yew prison.

The body of the Abbot was ghastly; his face was a contorted mask.  It captured a final spasm of indescribable pain.  Itannar saw the food, half eaten, especially noting the purple carrots.  Only a few bites had been taken from them.  "Get a pouch, clean, mind you... and collect these items.  Take care none of it touches bare flesh."

Jared nodded, giving the order to one of the jail-keepers in attendance.  "Poison," he muttered.

Itannar nodded.  "Without doubt," he responded, kneeling beside the corpse.  "Question is, did he have it on him when he entered or did someone bring it to him?  I want the list of all visitors for the last week, even before he got here.  I also will interrogate the jail-keepers myself."

"I have already asked them sir.  One said he did have a visitor, late last night.  A woman who claimed to be a relative.  She said she brought food for him.  They had no reason to think she meant any harm."

Mouth agape, Itannar stood up.  "What has happened since I have been away?!  Who changed these rules?!!  From now on NO ONE, I mean, NO ONE, permits anyone to feed a prisoner save those I have selected!  They will eat prison food from now on... no special privileges even for holy men or women!"

Jared nodded sheepishly.  "I will so order it sir."

Calmer, Itannar sighed.  "Take the body to the Abbey.  Present it to the Grand Inquisitor.  He may wish to perform some rite or other before burial.  I have no further need to examine it; clearly he was poisoned.  Find out from that food what it was if possible.  Also, I want a thorough description of the "relative" who came here.  Get me a drawing.  We will go from there.  I will inform the Governor and take responsibility."

"But you didn't know sir," Jared countered.

"What happens in Yew, especially at the prison, is on my watch."  He stepped out of the cell as the jail-keepers entered, wrapped the body carefully, lifted it, and carried it away.

[mcian]

The Inquisitor looked upon the hideous corpse of his mentor and friend but he could not weep; it was not his way. Instead he was filled with fury and anger. To him, the Abbot had tried to live the virtues as he saw them. The man had made one too many enemies apparently, and now he was gone.

"He was poisoned your grace," explained a very adept healer. "It is something unusual. I am not confident of a precise type."

"You mean you are not competent enough. What can you tell me?"

"It seems... it seems to me it is the exact way the previous Abbot died. I did not examine him, but I learned of it."

The Inquisitor thought for a moment. He stepped back, stroking his beard. "He feared a woman. He told me her name... Ravenna. He was certain she would try to kill him. Surely those imbeciles at the prison did not let her just walk in and poison him?!"

"Your grace, the previous administration permitted the jailors to be lax with some rules while enforcing others. When they departed, things fell into complete disarray. There was much confusion, and not a little corruption."

"I can imagine! Things have gone to the dogs in the last few years. Here was the one who sought to make things right," he added, looking sympathetically upon the body of his fallen friend. "We will avenge him," he muttered.

The healer acolyte stood up to face him. "That is not our way your grace. We must allow the authorities to deal with his slayer."

The Inquisitor glared at him. "You dare speak to me of our ways?! He sought to enforce our ways and look what it got him?! Unless we all wish to join him, we must locate and deal with his killers."

"Your grace, we have no such means; no army. We are a peaceful brotherhood, bound by the virtues to assist those in need."

"Take the body away. I will deal with these matters personally. I need no army. There are those who will understand, who will gladly sacrifice themselves for our righteous cause."

Obediently, several monks picked up the body and took it to an anteroom for further processes before burial.

They shall all burn for this outrage!