(A1:S8) "...Often go Awry" (Part 3)

General Summary

The party, betraying another supposed ally, escapes Stonewatch by the skin of their teeth. Once in the relative safety of the nearby forest, friendly competition ensues. Secrets are revealed, trust is spread, and emotions come to pass... however, as night falls a secret meeting is observed by the new party member. Brother Jun, the monk whose missionary group was tortured and killed by House Despath, is on the hunt for his fellow brothers of the faith. Yet, he must ask himself: Is this the best company a man of faithful morality should surround himself with?     ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------   (This story takes place immediately after the interaction Ben wrote up. In the interest of metagaming, I can't reveal what he wrote. Hopefully, I will at a later date.)   On the southern edge of Stonewatch lies the final manor. From the outside, it seems like a jail with it's barred windows and heavy iron doors, and it wouldn't fit anyone more than The Bull. Inside its cream colored walls, lie tunnels extending out past the city walls. This immediate escape offered little respite for The Warden of Stonewatch, who resigned himself to going down with his axe in hand if need be. The rusted iron gate surrounding the manor is guarded by three platoons, recieved from high ranking members in The Dogs of War.     Loud steps echoed inside the evacuated manor as the battle raged on outside. The important members who were called to the emergency meeting had left, meaning The Bull was able to walk the halls without being accosted with the politics of prudent men. The Bull, ever since he gave up the nomadic ways of his people and became the strong branch of The Dogs of War had secretly longed for the days when he wasn't bogged down by rules. A week ago he could've crushed Sister Cohana's head in like a melon, yet the triumvirate was a necessary evil. It's not that he hated his position, on the contrary it filled him with a strive for power that rivaled most commanders in The Dogs of War. Yet, when he sat through those boring court rulings and law votes, he felt the urge to smash the table and bring Stonewatch to a more... primitive way of running.     There was also the problem of merchants. Those pretentious fools needed protection and The Bull had given it to them. Of course, the gluttonous pigs weren't satisfied with just protection; They wanted their own representatives, guard detachments, houses... It became too much. They got soft and in a way, so did The Dogs of War. Money is a powerful tool, and a fledgeling military needs it most... but at what cost? Now, tensions have boiled over into open rebellion, and what can only be described as a civil war between the three houses. He only hoped those money-hungry scoundrels got what was coming to them...     The Bull sneered through his helmet as he opened up the balcony door, letting the screams and sounds of crackling fire wash over him like sunbeams. He entered slowly onto the balcony, taking in the sights. The Bull gripped the railing, watching as the puny peasants who had surrendered were placed before the chopping block. He need not worry about them. Stonewatch would soon repopulate under his watch. He couldn't help sniggering as he watched his own regiment strip and tie a merchant to a ceiling beam on a shell of a house, lighting the wood pile on fire below. The merchant's screams cut through the air, and The Bull took great pleasure as his supposed family was beheaded one by one infront of the burning man. As his wife's headless body crumpled to the ground, the mans life left him. Soon, all that was left of the merchant was a charred husk. Like so many people around him, the merchant realized that his material possessions would not carry over to the next life. So he had given up, and his house finally collapsed in fire behind him.     Stonewatch will rise from the ashes, a larger and stronger city than it ever was.