It took me almost two days to remove myself from the twisted wreckage that was my armor. All of the decades of waiting for that spiderling to slip up may have finally paid off thanks to her pet gnome. She may have been unassailable before, but I've been watching and waiting as her facade of obvious dominance over the town crumbled. Before he appeared she was a cold hearted killing machine, but his very presence has revealed proof of her weakness.

I plan to urge the members of the council to exile the walking disaster that is that gnome. I have a strong urge to execute him and allow him to rise as an undead for the glory of my God, Dark King Grimnodel, but I fear the librarian's wrath will reduce the town to ashes should such an event take place. It is my belief that if this gnome leaves Border Town in a permanent sense she will follow him willingly, thereby allowing the undead to return to it's rightful position of power which she usurped a thousand years ago.

She fought her way in here so long ago and spread her miasmic arcane magic through the town. The undead lost so many of their strongest units back then, but in her absence they may rise anew and rejoin our ranks. I would allow the Lycan hunters and the Hagraven to remain as they are useful to us, but the Nexus Weaver must be removed or rehabilitated. I plan my speech as I release the Dire Crows to call a convening of the Midnight Council. I specifically excluded her from the recipients.

I watched the departing murder momentarily before turning and commanding my drudge attendants to follow me to my quarters. I donned my ceremonial armor with their assistance and hastily stode to the council chamber in the northern courtyard. The community leaders were already gathering and taking their positions in the spacious auditorium as I walked to the desk on the stage. The southgate captain, Captain Musgrave I recalled, was seated in one of the two chairs as I lowered myself into the other.

"Greetings, Captain Musgrave." I politely addressed him before asking, "How goes the south gate?" He groaned as he responded in a droning voice, "Captain Feldred, I had a trying day. That woman you hate, her pet visited my gate in the dying light yesterday, proudly gloating on his wanton destruction of the local ecosystem." His illusory face grimaced, "My militia worked through the evening luring a new group of creatures to the site, and they continue to work still. It is unsure whether the damage can be mitigated."

This bit of information added more weight to my case, "I can expect we'll have stronger beasts charging our southern half for food then?" I asked, already knowing the answer. The weary zombie answered with an affirming grunt.

I watched as the stragglers arrived and took positions on the edge of the theater. I lifted a gavel and struck the sounding block to draw the attention of the gathered mass. I was prepared to rile up these docile wretches into a frenzy, and I'll drag up every old grudge they bear against the Weaver to do so.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow townsfolk who reside in Border Town. I have called tonight's Midnight Council to discuss a matter of grave import." I began slowly, setting the tone for my following statements. "It wasn't so long ago that we could each claim to be a member of the strongest and most close-knit society in Magras, but sadly, that has recently changed." I paused to pique their curiosity, "One among us has sheltered an outsider that has recently stirred up the relative peace that we once enjoyed. Her incessant aiding and abetting of this newcomer threatens the future of our dear home, and his callous destruction hardly ceases when she reins him in." I began to direct the flow of blame onto the gnome apprentice, with the intent of tarnishing her image for condoning his foolish activities.

I began listing off his least detrimental traits, his rudeness towards the citizens of the town. "This gnome has treated you all with disdain and will not improve his attitude toward you regardless of how jovial or useful you prove yourself to be. He blatantly avoids members in good standing with the community for no apparent reason. I received a report that just this morning he snubbed every zombie as he walked through town and he refused to even meet their gaze or respond to anything said to him. He shut his eyes and blocked his ears when several of your fellows greeted him." I was interrupted by a gaunt man that I recognized as the owner of the Central square general store. "He openly blasphemed in the first meeting I had with him!"

I continued my smear rant when the crowd returned to order.

"Moreover, he even went so far as to mock the Lycan hunters behind their backs as they left to procure the very food he eats!" I shot an indignant glare pointedly at the Lycan Alpha, as if I were enraged on his behalf. "It's not enough that your druids struggle to plant and feed their own, this coward belittles everything you do for him when you're not looking." I turned my gaze to a soft one of sorrow for mentioning the hardships of trying to cast divine blessings in a place filled to saturation with mana.

The Alpha's reaction was beautiful, he went from seething rage to hollow regret with those two points alone and the crowd that was near him tried to console him.

I turned to Emery, the foreman of the mine, "You Emery," I gestured at him as I addressed him, "I'm aware that the gnome disaster has been working for you for around a week. Has he been helping along with the other miners in the repair of the north gate?" I asked, I raised an eyebrow on my illusionary face as I expected an answer. "No," Emery said, "I was under the impression that he was in convalescence after a head injury during the recent attack." I lowered my brows while saying, "He spent the time crafting a weapon under the guidance of his master. He used the money you gave him to buy materials from you and if you ask your smiths," I gestured at the twins beside him, "They'll surely tell you he sold the materials you gave him back to you at an exorbitant price. Those materials would have been freely given by any other resident here." I battered the gnome's standing with the old miner thoroughly. "Did you know he was also the reason the north gate needed to be repaired to begin with? I wouldn't be surprised if he orchestrated this whole situation." I left out my involvement as I dug the gnome a deeper pit.

"We might have fallen in that very attack if his master hadn't covered for him." I flatly stated to the angry mob. "Even when she did salvage the situation, she deprived the town of not one, but two new recruits." I added, the finishing touch. "I mentioned that he built a weapon while he was supposedly in recovery. Do any of you know what the first thing he did with it was? Do you?" I asked, clearly being rhetorical by the tone I affected. "He went and wiped out the second largest colony of goblins near the town. He came back bragging about the feat at the gate like a dog asking for a treat." I scanned the crowd one last time. "And after all that, Ms. Weaver didn't punish him for any of it."

"We're going to have more monsters coming out of the woodwork looking for food with those goblins gone." I stated, "Captain Musgrave seems fairly certain of that." I gestured to my companion on the stage. "I would normally move for the execution of the perpetrator, but in this instance he holds too much sway over Ms. Weaver. I don't fear her any more or less than any of you do, but we cannot afford the loss of manpower nor the cost of repairs should she attack the town in her currently addled state." The crowd was seething as one, their collective hate was apparent on their faces and could be felt in the air.

"As an alternative, I would suggest we be the benevolent beings I know you to be. We allow the gnome to leave in exile. Perhaps Ms. Weaver, who brought this catastrophy into our homes will follow. Only then will we be safe from anymore of his foul attitude and destructive nature." I dropped my thoughts on the audience and let them mull it over a moment.

"Anyone wish to cast their vote or suggestion?" I asked, watching as the hands shot up immediately. I started from the left side of the room, "You first," it was the lycan representative.

He stood and bowed, then glanced across the rest of the mob. "Never before has such a strong case been brought against one person. I would wish this one dead, but for the sake of my fellows, I vote for exile." His deep gravelly voice carried well over the crowd and set the tone as they voted for exile one-by-one. I dabbed a handcherchief at my face to hide my please expression as the final vote was cast.

The sound of the gavel colliding with the sounding block echoed through the hall as it was decided that at dawn, the accused would have exactly one day to leave or be executed.