{"id":4012,"date":"2016-08-08T00:01:02","date_gmt":"2016-08-08T04:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tellest.com\/?p=4012"},"modified":"2016-08-17T07:44:11","modified_gmt":"2016-08-17T11:44:11","slug":"trellach-v-damar-part-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/trellach-v-damar-part-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Trellach v. Damar, Part One"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trellach v. Damar
\n<\/strong>A Story by Aaron Canton
\n-Part One-<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Elwyn Trellach, baroness of Roulena, allowed herself a faint grin as her subjects filed into the amphitheater set in the middle of the town square. Her advisors had told her building the amphitheater was impossible, that they could never afford the cost of bringing all the needed materials and craftsmen to Roulena\u2019s isolated location in the middle of the Dragon\u2019s Bane Mountains, but the baroness had known she could find a way. And she had; after a few donations to a small\u2014but expertly chosen\u2014group of officials in Viscosa, a road was built connecting Roulena to the large city of Caledos, slashing the price of imports and incentivizing merchants to make more frequent trips to Trellach\u2019s domain. After that, it only took a few new tariffs on said merchants, and a tax or two on her citizens, to fund the rest of the project.<\/p>\n

Trellach reached out and traced one hand over the large, ornate table set in the middle of the stage. What her council hadn\u2019t understood, she thought, was that\u2014even though she wasn\u2019t the sort of baroness to parade around in golden regalia for no reason\u2014her duties really did require a certain amount of grandeur. You couldn\u2019t just announce a knighthood or a new public works project in any old square; the people wouldn\u2019t respect a noble who treated her duties with such a casual air. But a structure with marble columns and statues and lines of gold etched into the surface of the stage? That was a suitable place to send off a diplomat, or promote an official, or honor a hero.<\/p>\n

Or execute a criminal.<\/p>\n

She turned on her heel and descended the stairs leading off the stage, then opened a door in the platform\u2019s base and entered a small room. Four robed mages were inside, all standing around a bound, gagged man with sallow skin and a wrinkled face. Trellach glanced at the mages and asked, \u201cHow is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll make it to his execution,\u201d drawled Trellach\u2019s most senior mage, an aged man named Tyrn. When bandits had plagued the Dragon\u2019s Bane Mountains eight years prior, Tyrn had crushed them in a rockslide; when a peasant leader had gathered followers for a rebellion three years after that, Tyrn had conjured an illusion of a sturdy bridge over a great ravine and lured the peasant to his doom. It was thanks to his magic, almost as much as her wits, that Trellach had ruled Roulena in peace for so long. \u201cYou can even take his gag off if you want; we\u2019ll all be ready to cast on him if he tries anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trellach looked at her other three mages, saw their confident grins and firm nods, and whipped the gag off of the bound man\u2019s mouth. \u201cDamar,\u201d she said. \u201cI hope you know why you\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Damar opened his mouth, but rather than say anything, he let out a long yawn. Trellach stared as Damar finished and gave her a calm, lazy smile. \u201cI suppose,\u201d he said in a casual voice, \u201cmy services weren\u2019t to your liking?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLiking?\u201d Trellach snorted. \u201cYou attacked my town!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, baroness, I cast exactly the spell you requested. The zombie cats I summoned purged Roulena of all its rats, did they not?\u201d<\/p>\n

Trellach\u2019s eyes flashed. Roulena had suffered an unusually large infestation of rats in the previous months; not enough to make life unbearable, but enough to annoy Trellach and\u2014more importantly\u2014undermine her authority with her subjects. No matter how many vermin Tyrn and his subordinate mages killed with their spells, there were always more ready to take their places. When he\u2019d admitted defeat, she\u2019d sent letters to Caledos, Atalatha, and Viscosa offering great rewards for a pest exterminator. Weeks later, the necromancer Damar had shown up on her doorstep with a promise to take care of her problem. Trellach had hired him… and regretted it immediately thereafter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey killed all the rats\u2014and wrecked my town doing it! Those beasts you summoned broke through doors, windows, even stone walls when they chased the vermin. When the rats hid in the town granary, your damn cats practically dismantled the whole building digging them out!\u201d She clenched a fist. \u201cDo you have any idea of the damage your magic caused?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLess than the damage those rats caused, I imagine,\u201d mused Damar. He leaned back, looking so calm that Trellach realized she was checking to make sure he was still bound and at her mercy. \u201cBut I did warn you to have your citizens open their doors and windows so the cats could get to the rats in their homes without having to break through anything to reach them. I really don\u2019t see how any damage they inflicted is my<\/em> fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trellach had issued the warning. She had also arranged for a few of her citizens to hear rumors Damar had planned on robbing everyone once they\u2019d opened their houses for him. If a few ignored the warning and later found their houses damaged, everyone would see the folly of ignoring Trellach\u2019s advice. The rumors, however, had spread far quicker than she\u2019d thought, and almost nobody had opened their doors. Now half the houses in her town had holes in their walls, and a few had even collapsed.<\/p>\n

But whatever she\u2019d done or hadn\u2019t done didn\u2019t matter. She needed to keep the public\u2019s trust in her, which meant she needed someone to blame, and Damar was as good a target as any. \u201cWell, as it happens, I\u2019m in charge here, so I<\/em> get to decide who\u2019s at fault.\u201d She chuckled. \u201cAnd I say it\u2019s the necromancer who summoned the monsters that wrecked the town. Have you anything to say before I sentence you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Damar raised an eyebrow but said nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo be it.\u201d She nodded at the mages. \u201cI\u2019ll go up to the stage and tell the townspeople we caught the wizard who destroyed their houses. Whose beasts almost harmed them, their loved ones, and their children. Then you\u2019ll bring him up there, and I\u2019ll…\u201d She drew a finger across her neck. \u201cFinish him off.\u201d<\/p>\n

She waited for him to shout, plead, or cry, but he just gave her a bemused look. \u201cI\u2019m a necromancer,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Trellach shook her head. \u201cNo, you won\u2019t! I\u2014I mean, Tyrn will make sure your body is beyond any sort of magical\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, yes, of course.\u201d Damar settled back in his chair again. \u201cWell, shall we get on with it? I must admit, I\u2019ve never been executed before. Will you decapitate me, or hang me, or maybe have this Tyrn fellow use a magic spell?\u201d<\/p>\n

Trellach\u2019s mouth moved soundlessly for a few seconds before she continued. \u201cYou didn\u2019t let me finish,\u201d she said, acting as if Damar had given her the terrified reaction she\u2019d hoped for. \u201cI\u2019m not without mercy, and there\u2019s still a way you can help me. If you do, I\u2019ll…look the other way when you escape my dungeons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHelp?\u201d Damar\u2019s smile grew, and Trellach relaxed. He clearly had<\/em> been scared, she thought, even if he hadn\u2019t shown it. \u201cHow so?\u201d<\/p>\n

The baroness sat on another chair across from Damar. \u201cA noble must have the respect of her subjects or else she will not remain the ruler of her province for long. They must think her to be wise enough to solve any problem that arises. Thanks to your little debacle, I\u2019ve lost a fair amount of that respect. And I will get it back\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy letting me go to demonstrate you\u2019re smart enough to know Raleigh\u2019s rules and laws and wise enough to follow them?\u201d<\/p>\n

Trellach smirked. \u201cI\u2019m wise enough to know the rules do not apply to nobles, Damar. If you don\u2019t believe me…\u201d She swept an arm around the darkened room. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you appeal to those rules? Perhaps they\u2019ll manifest and save you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Damar looked amused. \u201cI suppose that would be foolish, now that I think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyways. I will get it back by proving I\u2019m wiser than you, the famous wizard Damar.\u201d Trellach paused before adding, \u201cAre you familiar with the game Lords?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe strategy game? Yes, I play frequently. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is generally accepted only the wisest people are truly skilled at Lords. And, as it happens, I am<\/em> a master at it. I\u2019ve won tournaments, and the king of Raleigh even gave me a medal after a particularly brilliant game against his own personal tutor\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh!\u201d Damar brightened. \u201cNow I understand. Your barony\u2019s falling apart because you spend all your time playing a game!\u201d<\/p>\n

Trellach flushed but controlled herself. \u201cEven though the people here have heard I\u2019m a Lords master, there\u2019s never been any strong enough opponents out here for me to prove it. Fortunately, you\u2019re a wizard, and everyone knows wizards are supposed to be brilliant. They\u2019re probably some of the best Lords players around. There\u2019s no point in me playing Tyrn or my other mages; they\u2019re on my staff, so everyone would think they let me win. If I played you<\/em>, however…\u201d<\/p>\n

Damar tilted his head. \u201cSo, you propose we go on stage, I throw the match and lose in a humiliating defeat, and with your honor restored, you let me go?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not. If you threw the match, someone might notice. I want you to give it your all\u2014so that when I beat you, they won\u2019t have any excuse to doubt me.\u201d Trellach leaned back. \u201cWe\u2019ll play a game of Lords. If you win, you go free on the spot. If you lose, well, I think a bit of hard labor until you pay back all that damage your cats caused would be appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if I refuse to play,\u201d said Damar, \u201cit\u2019s the chopping block, I suppose?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d Trellach looked directly into Damar\u2019s eyes. \u201cSo. What\u2019s your choice?\u201d<\/p>\n

Silence stretched between them, and for a moment, Trellach worried she was wrong. That Damar wasn\u2019t just faking a nonchalant attitude. That he really wasn\u2019t scared. That he didn\u2019t think Trellach could hurt him… and that he might somehow be right.<\/p>\n

But Damar nodded. \u201cYou make a strong case,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s play Lords, Baroness Trellach.\u201d<\/p>\n

The noble\u2019s eyes gleamed as she gestured for her mages to take Damar and follow her to the stage. \u201cVery well,\u201d she said. \u201cI look forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trellach v. Damar A Story by Aaron Canton -Part One-   Elwyn Trellach, baroness of Roulena, allowed herself a faint grin as her subjects filed into the amphitheater set in the middle of the town square. Her advisors had told her building the amphitheater was impossible, that they could never afford the cost of bringing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[145,146],"tags":[273,1405,512,149,1404,1406],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Short-Story-Panel.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1UVey-12I","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4012"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4012"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4013,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4012\/revisions\/4013"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}