Book 3 Chapter 9

Tirr couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, glaring at the two men as he tried to tell if they were joking once more, but to his surprise they seemed serious.

“Enough about that,” The old man continued, “I’m sure you’ll hear about that eventually, especially as your Torvus’s Lord. For now though, please take a seat. There is much work to be done if we want to change this city…”

Tirr stared at him for another moment before letting out a sigh, taking a seat in front of the desk and setting Garm in his lap. Maria stood next to him, still giving Torvus a reproachful glance.

“Fine then,” Tirr started, looking back at the old man. “Torvus said that the best way to take down this place was from within, and that’s why we’re here, but he never went into detail on exactly how that would work beyond that you would be able to help.”

“I understand, it’s not something that can be gone over quickly, but I do believe I can assist, even if only with information. How much has the lad told you about The Confederation and the Council?”

“Not a lot, Just that the Council controls things…”

Raife nodded, “That is true, The Merchant Confederation has no Kings or Rulers. When it first started as a trading hub between the surrounding countries, it attracted masters of all fields and disciplines. As it grew, these masters organized their trades into guilds to help organize and grow newcomers.”

“The old man let out a sigh, “No good thing lasts forever though, and while they had gotten away with having no government for a time, eventually it became necessary for someone to take the reins to stop the slowly growing dissent. None of these guilds wanted to turn over control and authority to anyone else and battle were fought in the allies and streets over who would rule. In the end, the six largest guilds came together to put a stop to the skirmishes.”

He lifted a hand raising his fingers as he counted… “The six guilds of the Council rose and established order. The Agriculture Guild, who handled almost all matters concerning food production and its byproducts. The Metal Guild, formed by a coalition of blacksmiths and miners. The Textile Guild, who handled cloth and clothing production. The Craftsmen Guild, started by the carpenters and various other craftsmen who flocked under their banner. The Brewers, who handled alcohol, entertainment, and hospitality. And finally, the Mercenary Guild who collected strong fighters and became the new country’s defenders…”

“So, there are only 6 members of this council?” Tirr asked curiously. “Torvus made it seem like such a big deal.”

“That’s how it started, yes.” Raife answered, “But as these six grew along with the country, other industries grew in their shadow. Gambling, drugs, and worst of all the slave trade. Quickly, these darker trades grew to the point where they could challenge the original six. The Council decided that instead of fighting, it would be more profitable to include these newcomers into the council. They were given a seat, though their participation was kept hidden. To the public, there are only the original six members, but anybody in the know understands there are nine.”

“And the assassins Guild?”

“The assassin's guild is the tool of the council” Torvus answered, “They don’t have any authority themselves. But the best of their guild is assigned to the council members each year as their guards and pawns.”

The old man nodded, “They’ll be your toughest opponents, but we’ll need to break through if we’re to take the city.”

“So, what exactly is the plan here?” Tirr asked, growing irritated. “None of this explains what we’re supposed to do here.”

“Simply, We’ll track down and kill each of the council members… One by one, until none are left….”

There was an awkward silence broken only by Maria’s hesitant voice, “Will that be enough? Just taking out these council members… Will that really do anything?”

“Normally no, But I and my colleagues will be taking their places and we have enough contacts still within the guilds to keep things under control. It will be a mess, but with them gone we should be able to pull through.”

“You’ll be taking control?” Tirr questioned, his eyes squinting suspiciously.

“Yes, before I left along with Torvus and the other children I was the Guild Master of the Craftsmen Guild. I and two other council members disagreed with the rest on how we were handling the shard, we split from the council and were forced into hiding by the others. Our positions have been replaced now but we held power for far too long for them to wipe away our influence completely. If the other council members are taking care of, we’ll be able to take control of things.

“Should I ask what your disagreement was about?”

“The lad can fill you in later. For now, we should talk about your first target. The council members keep to themselves outside of the meetings they have and are hard to find for the most part. In preparation for your arrival, I’ve managed to track one down. The Guild Master of the Metal guild, Liken Roe, though he goes by Alloy. He’s a real bastard, grew his business selling shoddy weapons to both Lutel and Rasor. He’s currently hiding out in the largest forge under his control…”

They talked for another 30 minutes going over the details of their first target. Tirr and Maria mostly listened until Raife told them they should get some rest.

Torvus guided them out of the office towards rooms that had been prepared. As he tried to get away, he felt a tug on his sleeve,

“We need to talk…” Tirr said, giving the former assassin a glare…