The Etymarchy's Ultimatum

[Sheriff 005]

"Hey Talbot, I'm not to well learned on you fella's whole religion thing. Didn't your order seperate from the rest because yous were the warm fuzzy type? While he is all fire and wrath and whatnot."

[Gregor]

*Gregor hears Pastor Talbot's words and shoots his hand in the air. The intention of the raised hand was, in Gregor's mind, intended to draw attention and then be acknowledged by the group, but this intention was soon lost to Gregor. He stood up and spoke before anyone really noticed his hand*

"I guess my master wasn't clear when he specifically said that there are two witnesses to his assassination other than his own account of what happened. That's the evidence and since I was there to see it I trust myself. I saw men dressed just like the man you introduced me to last Friday night Pastor Talbot. I was asleep when they entered the room and was unable to see faces but I am positive they had the same robes. That's all we have to go on now but it's enough to start an investigation that's supported by the Church."

*Satisfied, Gregor sits back down and contemplates the food dilemma which continues to plague him.*

[Molly Mayweather]

"I'll be right back," she said to 424 before making her way over to Anton. "This one again? I've already fixed this three times this week," she muttered with a mild look of concern over the other aging steamborg parts strews across the table. As Molly started work to unjam the valve, she waited with interest for Talbot's response to the Sheriff's question and Gregor's outburst.

[Project 424]

424 furrows her brow a little after listening to the explanations. "I agree with Sheriff 005. From what I've seen of the Order, assassination attempts are not exactly their Modis Operandi."

She pauses a moment passing a few stitches over her needles as she ponders.
"Is it possible that some other faction is attempting to drive a wedge further into the politics of the Phenexians by posing as members of the Order and committing this heinous act?"

She smiles politely, her eyes still on her knitting. "Perhaps the same people who are setting traps within the Church Cells?"

[Alexei]

I know I don't speak up on matters much, usually to question the logic of allowing "creepy things" to walk amongst ourselves, but I can't keep quiet on this issue since an open threat has been laid before the town by a singular entity that resides amongst us.

From where I sit, Sahaal is blinded by his zealotry. He expects all to respect his position in the church, even if one does not belong to his church. This seems rather hypocritical to me, seeing as how he may not showing proper respect to the lands he is in.

Last I checked, Greyhook is the property of a high ranking noble, thus making it an extension of Alden and under the perview of Aldenian law. From what I understand, while in Alden, all are subject to and no one is above the law; not church members, not even the king himself (may he rest in peace).

Additionally, there is a constable in place and all violations of the law (attempted murder is one) are to be reported to him. Seems like a simple courtesy, but even if he did not trust the constable with such a matter, he still should have formally presented his facts to Lord Auldway and explain the events that happened.

As for his facts, I have never known one person's word to be valid enough to convict. Allow me to break this down mildly.

Jack seems to be a decent enough individual. I have seen him go out of his way to save others in town from harm. A very noble display, but we also know that he just underwent brain surgery so any lawyer worth his salt could use that to discredit his testimony. Even a churh inquisitor has to admit that while Jack may be a very noble and trustworthy individual, based on the recent surgery, his memories are suspect.

Gregor, despite his recent discovery of sporadic intelligence, has demonstrated time and time again, that he is an auxiliary to Sahaal. He asks for permission to do things and refrains from doing things when instructed not to. Just about everyone who currently resides in Greyhook can attest to that, including a fair amount of visitors. This unfortunately discredits the word of Gregor in this matter because it could be argued that he is just repeating what Sahaal told him to.

Please do not get me wrong, I have nothing against either Gregor or Jack. I have fought alongside and stitched up both of them, just like virtually everyone else in Greyhook. I am not personally doubting their word, just bringing to light the argument that could be used against them in an inquisition or a court of law.

While Sahaal has open contempt for most of the town, I have never caught wind of any intentions to do him harm. On the whole, the residents of Greyhook seem accepting to each other's faults and pasts.

But, if one who was as devout to the law of Alden as Sahaal is to his church, his words could be construed as almost treasonous or even an act of war. Expressing open content and refusal to abide by the laws of the land that you reside seems to be foolish at best.

He has stated his intentions to use violence without providing proper documentation to Constable Gilcrest to prove he is acting for the church and not just seeking personal vengeance. He is acting in a manner that he so openly condemns others for and seems to revel in the potential discord his words and actions are having.

I would like to urge anyone who has felt threatened by Sahaal's actions to report such to the constable. Proper documentation will streamline things later should actions get out of hand.

I know that my past is not perfect, but I also do not remember anything prior to being resurrected, so I see my presence in Greyhook as a new beginning and I am prepared to reside within the law of Alden for as long as I remain here. I will not stand idly by and allow anyone to further jeopardize the fragile political state we seem to be a part of.

Furthermore, Sahaal openly accused Spinderhawk of attempting to kill him, but after some sort of duel dropped the notion despite Spinderhawk being overheard as mocking him for believing in honor. Besting someone in a duel is not proof of innocence and it should not take an inquisitor to realize that. Especially with the rumors circulating about Spinderhawk in similar matters.

I have open objectives to Sahaal's methods and practices. This does not mean I stand against the church in any way. The members of the church I have met with act with substantially more tact and garner respect for conducting their business like civilized people, not with open contempt for what is different in this world. Gregor, if you feel so inclined to let my feelings be known to him, it would save me the trouble of repeating myself.

[manus dei]

"Well damn. That was quite the monologue my friend. It was a solid assessment of the situation in my opinion and I'm sure that quite a few of the others in the town would agree." Ivan steps in from the side door to the tavern and leans up against the wall. "I think that if he follows on this trip he is going to lead to a skirmish in town at some point, and I would rather not deal with that if I can help it. We have enough problems to deal with without us killing each other."

[Sheriff 005]

That's what I was tryin to say. Except without all the fancy words.

[Gregor]

*Gregor hears the speech then grabs his head for a moment almost as if hearing terrible judgment pains him. He puffs on his unlit pipe for a brief time then begins speaking.*

"Let us backtrack a little. My master simple stated that he was starting an investigation. If you have forgotten this then please reread his letter. His words were filled with anger just as yours would be if you were murdered in the night and had to meet with the Outlander in order to return back to this wretched place. Simply put he wants people to help or not interfere. Further more the only evidence we do have is that the culprits were in Chayodyne robes. That is his reasoning for wanting to speak with those who have Chayodyne ties, in order to question them. My master did not say he did not want to involve local law in this investigation, he has used the local law enforcement in the past and that is a viable option for the future which I'm sure he will use."

*Gregor takes off his glasses, cleans the lenses then returns them to his face before continuing.*

"I hope that clears up the way this whole mess started. One more thing I'd like to point out about your fallacy in reasoning though. Trying to discredit someone in order to make their argument seem false is a neat trick although it only draws attention away from the argument being presented. Instead of bringing Jacks surgery or my loyalty to Father Sahaal, both of which are irrelevant, into the discussion you should be focused on the propositions which were presented and lend credibility to the conclusion that a small group of Chayodyne shields, whether rogue or not, entered into private quarters and killed in cold blood. Don't let someones affiliations, flaws or past interfere with the pressing matter at hand."

*Gregor takes a deep breath before continuing.*

"You all seem to think the Kings death and the attempt on Father Sahaal's life are connected. Stop bickering and start finding a way to bring closure to this for the sake of our bleak town. If in fact those two events are related then aiding the Church and following the evidence we have is the only clear and logical path to follow if we want to discover the culprit or culprits behind the Kings assassination. Factions from all over Ayos have been set in motion to bring untold destruction upon one another and we will surly fall in the mix of it since this is where it all started. Once this matter is settled then peace and civility will actually have a chance to prevail in the world once again. This process will be a long one, but every journey begins with a first step. The first step in this journey appears to be aiding the Church which has aligned itself with Alden, in order to uncover the true horror behind these killings. I can not see why anyone would try to work against this goal."

*Gregor appears to be slightly out of breath as he takes his seat again. He is clutching his head with his right hand, his eerie ring sparkling in the dim candle light. The mental exertion seems to pain the resurrected but he soon recovers and resumes scanning the tavern such as he was before he spoke.*

[Sheriff 005]

"Gregor, it wasn't his letter we took issue with. It was what he said when he pinned it up. No one else said the King and the Inquisitor were related. I was just making and observation about such a odd coincidence. Well this has been a fun time and all but I got work to do."

The large brass construct makes his way out of the building.

[Gregor]

*Gregor smiles and shakes his head slightly as he chuckles quietly to himself.*