Plots unravelled with pain

While Hildraft was conducting his research at the Library, Surya had acompanied Crassus to the Prætorian barracks, near the Palace, to see to the examination of the papers they'd found in the senator's house. The district they were in was rich and elegant, and so the headquarters of the Imperial Guard were all the more out of place. A squat, brutal, businesslike fortress, the Barracks crouched like a barely-tamed watchdog amongst the magnificent town houses of the nobles.

Leading the Tellaran in, Crassus guided him to the room set aside for the investigation into this matter, and introduced him to the specialists who'd be examining the books, before handing them over. Other evidence gathered from Gravincia's house was already there, including a small vial of Bloodbane, which the researchers clearly didn't know anything about. As he did so, he picked up some papers from a nearby desk, and gave them to Surya; three sets of identification passes for the Barracks, allowing the holders access to the investigation room. "Don't wander about, though," he warned. Hildraft arrived at this point, to be handed his set and to receive the same warning.

Crassus then explained that the members of the Pulverae [Secret Service] under suspicion had been taken into custody, and were being sorted through by mundane means - corroboration, minor truth-telling magic - to eliminate the innocent. He expected to have the really significant players ready for interrogateion in a couple of days, and suggested that Suyra and Hildraft came back then to hear their confessions, and discover what the books had revealed.

Two days later, then, Surya and Hildraft returned to the barracks, meeting Crassus in the same room. The praetorian experts were hollow-eyed and exhausted, but triumphant; the volumes had yielded up their secrets. Two in particular were significant:

• The Selvyr Codex; a volume written sometime in the 250s, described the retructuring of the Clans originally created by Cain. Clan Lasombra was formed around this time, and the practice of having once Clanlord was replaced by the system of each clan being led by six senior members, called Lictors, one of whom was selected by his peers to belong to the Council of the High Clans, the Malthain.The five remaining Lictors of each clan were scattered widely, reducing the clan's vulnerability to anti-vampire actions. The Malthain was stated in the Codex to meet at the Fortress of Varelath, though it did not specify where this was located.
• Cullinan's Plan; written by one of the very first vampires created by Cain after his cursing, the Plan set out the details of what could be achieved with sufficient unbalancing of the structure of the multiverse - specifically, the modification of the curse on the Sons of Cain to remove their vulnerabilities and weaknesses, allowing them to "take their rightful place as masters of the material world". Clearly, this was what the Cain faction vampires were setting out to do.

Next, he led the dwarf and warrior through the building and down several flights of stairs. As they descended, the two talked quietly. Surya was having a mild crisis of confidence; "Why do we do these things? We're placing our lives on the line here," he muttered. Hildraft pointed out that he was, after all, a Tellaran, and born to that.

They were passing through different areas now; dank, cold, dark; rows of cells, iron grating gates, muffled cries in the distance. This was a place into which people disapeared, never to return. Finally, they emerged into a large room, dotted with angled tables, soundproofed, and well drained.

Attached to three of these tables, with brutal, sinister men waiting to attend to them, were three prisoners. More comfortable seating awaited Crassus and his guests; two scribes were also present to note down the results. Crassus pointed out the victims as the torturers got to work.

• Acertus Gravincia's second in command, and the man who offered the scroll to Heredatus during the group's interview. He knew the game was up, and had freely confessed to involvement in the plot to kidnap Crixus, the manouverings that led to Calpurnia's turning, and the concealment of the group's presence in Thornal from the Emperor. He had listed his subordinates who were involved in all this, mostly unawares. He had, however, steadfastly refused to provide contact details for conspirators elsewhere, and professed complete ignorance as to the Valca Gate and its' nature.
• Lignertas Much lower in the hierarchy than Acertus, Lignertas was plotting to murder his superior and seize his position, and possibly repeat the process with Gravincia. Only mildly efficient as an agent or administrator, his main usefulness was an unparalleled knowledge of the street politics and underworld dealings of Thornal. A weasel.
• Vesucius A magic specialist, and not a robust-appearing individual.

Lignertas did not resist the persuaders for long, and was soon telling everything he had to tell. Unfortunately, most of it was unrelated to the current conspiracy; what he spouted was enough of the Thieves' Guild's secrets to get Crassus' underlings scribbling gleefully in their notebooks.

Acertus appeared to be made of sterner stuff, and steadfastly refused to talk, though he screamed quite a lot as one excruciation after another was applied. In the end it was plain that his bodily reserves were giving out, and he was slipping towards death. The torturers had clearly seen this before, and prepared to abandon him as unable to deliver more information.

At this point, the northerners took a hand. Hildraft reached into the mire of blood and foam that had an hour before been a healthy man, and in a flicker of magic healed him, dragging him back from death. Acertus, a moment before slipping into blessed numb oblivion, was suddenly clear-headed, painless true, but the awareness slowly dawned on him that everything he'd suffered before awaited him again - and again - and again, as Surya stepped close up to him

Looming over the helpless wretch, the black-armoured Tellaran relaxed the restraint he normally exerted over the dark aura created by the damned sword Tormentor. Waves of terror and evil washed out from him as he glared down at the prisoner, and even the hardened torturers blanched. Acertus' courage shattered like a dropped glass, and he began to talk, never taking his eyes from the terror in black for a moment.

• Torunn Yalistair, a Cappadocian necromancer/vampire, and one of the five Lictors of the Cappadocian clan, was constructing an army of the undead for Cain's benefit ready for the First Vampire's return to the Prime Material. He was based in southern Stryre, in an abandoned castle in the Fens of Korvux in the Duchy of Fedor. Acertus believed that Yalistair knew where Cullinan is currently operating.
• A vampire of Low Clan Ravnos, named Katrine Kristiansen, was working towards the heart of the rulership of Dalaghendor. Nothing had been heard from her for a long time, but Acertus had high hopes she would manage to destabilize and weaken the new realm.
• A Lasombra assassin called Nham, one of Slaughter's peers, had been despatched on two missions; the retributive murders of Verdaeth Tormtor for her House's part in the foiling of the Kingmaker plot, and that of Skufruss Lord of Dragons, ruler of Tarlanor, for his part in Vane's death and to destabilize his realm. If successful in this, Nham was to go on and kill the High Priest of the Kordasa as well before reporting back.
• The Valca Gate was guarded by Panserbørnë - the armoured bears of the northlands - who maintained ice-forts around the area and allow none to approach. Ancient and mighty creatures, the armoured bears were known to the elves, but very few ever won their respect. One who did was Elverandil the Smith, on account of his peerless metalworking skills. He it was taught them the secret of working the starsteel.
• A second Daywalker was operating in Thornal, as a backup in case the first assault on the Vintares Gate should fail. His instructions were simpler; slaughter at will in the city and cause as much confusion as possible. A Gangrel, he seldom participated in human society, and was indeed seldom in human form. When he was, his name was Lygris.

What he had to tell was very revealing. He was able to describe in more detail the terrible Nightfall spell that Rhendal had used on the group at Reital, to a point that Hildraft now completely understood it - though, like Vesucius, he couldn't cast it, not being a vampire himself. Likewise, the Pulverus sorcerer knew the spell Undetectable Vampire, the spell that was responsible for so much confusion as obvious undead failed to show up as such to the spell and ability Detect Undead.

Keeping him carefully gagged, they moved him to a table and provided him with pen and paper, demanding he write the spells down. He tried, and succeeded with the lesser spells, such as Namewrack, but as he tried to write out the Nightfall spell, the energies he channeled suddenly escaped his control, and a discharge of energy ripped through him, tearing him apart and roasting his head and chest; he dropped dead across the half-written spell.

Leaving the cell, the three talked over what they'd learned. Hildraft used magic to send a message to Sack, who immediately used his Helm of Teleportation to make the leap to Vorsand and warn Skufruss of the assassin heading his way. The half-orc was also asked to collect some more Arrows of Slaying, if Skufruss would make them. Then the dwarf sent a similar warning to Jasselan, High Priest of the Kordasa. Surya suggested a council of concerned individuals should meet; themselves, Crassus, Dran Trasutor, Nogdum and so on, to decide the next step.

Crassus came as close to a smile as they'd yet seen him. "I have high hopes for our co-operation," he said.

The next order of business was to visit the Imperial Senate, which was to meet that afternoon. As Commander of the Praetorians, Crassus held honorary Senatorial rank, allowing him to attend the Senate (and bring guests), and to request the right to speak, though not to vote. At the doors they met Ruld Grenark, the orc ambassador, who clapped them on the shoulders, clearly delighted to see them still alive given the waters they were moving through. He accompanied them in, and sat with them in the visitors' gallery as Crassus moved to his assigned place near the doors.

The senate gathered, and Grenark identified each to the two Northerners in an undertone as he rose to speak on this or that issue. A few minor items were swiftly dealt with, and then the matter of the attack on Crixus and the battle at the Vintares Gate was tabled.

Crassus was called to give his report, which he did in crisp, clipped sentences, accurately reporting nearly everything (except for the details of Calpurnia's involvement, and the information on the Thieves' Guild revealed by Lignertas). This went down quite well - it seemed that the Senate was privy to the basic facts about the attack and the Gate already - but then he topped it off by formally making the request to demolish the Vintares Gate, to prevent such things happening again.

This caused chaos. Spirited arguments broke out, some focussing on the activites of the Hunters of Cain. Some senators spoke in their favour, pressing for them to be granted honours and citizenship for their actions, while others wanted them arrested or fined for damage to public property. It was noticable that certain senators always argued against each other, whatever the point in hand. Finally, Surya lost patience. He nudged Ruld and asked if there was a way he could address the Senate. The orc looked surprised, but said that if the Tellaran stood, it would signal his desire to speak; if the day's Speaker decided to recognize him, he would be allowed to say his piece. Surya rose from his seat.

The Speaker - today the saturnine Drusus - nodded to him, and the warrior descended the stairs to the central floor. The room formed a horseshoe shape, with tiers of seats surrounding a circular central arena where the senator currently speaking stood, allowing everyone to hear and see him. At the end stood the Speaker's chair, and the positions where the grim praetorian guards stood to ensure security in the hall. As he stepped out onto the floor, Surya - just for a moment - felt very small and alone, with two thousand years of the greatest human empire in the world looking down on him. He began to speak, but stumbled over his words; instantly, the unctuous Sejanus began to deride him.

Anger flared in the Tellaran, and instantly he was himself again, on familiar ground. He said nothing and did not move, but once again he allowed the terrible presence of the demon sword Tormentor to make itself felt. Gradually, as their nerve failed and the dark fear fell on them, the senators became silent. Only then did Surya speak.

He told them in detail of who and what he and his companions were, and what they had gone through to oppose the plots and attacks of the vampires and the Fae Mhor. He pointed out that the Gate was not really an Imperial monument at all, being far older than the Empire, the city, the Gods even. He suggested that the demolition be done with respect, and perhaps something even better be put in its' place. Then he stepped down.

The vote was taken, and was carried - the Gate would be torn down. Senator Cassius, who headed the city's civil engineering ministry, came up to Surya afterwards and made detailed notes of everything the Tellaran would tell him of the Gate and its' properties, before going off to plan its' demolition.

A messenger had arrived to say that the Northerners and Crassus were required at the palace, so they went there next, to be met informally by the Emperor Heredatus himself. He appeared already to know what the senate had decided, and asked shrewdly if Surya had any idea if destroying the Gate was going to endanger his city.

"I don't know," confessed Surya; "but I know a man who will..."