===

  Maplebrook’s Population: 382

  ===

  Jevrick’s Main Quest: Restore Maplebrook

  

  
• Stop the town from killing each other.


  
• Deal with Nightfire weeds before they destroy the town.


  

  

  
• Win Election.


  
• Earn Maplebrook’s trust.


  
• Bring back the town’s dead.


  
• Rebuild houses.


  
• Restore population.


  

  Side Quests:

  

  
• Find out who burned down the chapel.


  
• Fulfill obligation to Atan.


  

  ===

  First, he unified the town against me. Second, he unified the town against me. Third, he unified the town against me. The rat called Watcher Ronald, my ultimate nemesis, corruptor of good will, desecrator of all things intelligent, and all around just a real pebble in the shoe. That was who I thought about as I summoned another portal into my office.

  Timmins still jangled his bells and stood at the window, as I had instructed, so dutilful a thrall as any necromancer could desire.

  I rested a hand upon his shoulder.

  The jingling stopped.

  “You are relieved of your post. Well done, go now and rest!”

  Timmins shuffled around and looked at me, arms still awkwardly out with the mirror and bells. I quickly sliced the wrappings with a mail opener on my desk to free them, and turned to the window.

  “Uurrg,” Timmins groaned, shooting a hand out in front of me.

  I stepped back. Was there a trap I had not seen? I waited to see what he wanted to tell me.

  The thrall stooped down and scooped up something red on the floor—a withered rose. He cupped it gingerly, nodded to me, turned, and shuffled out of the office.

  Curious.

  Then I was snapped back to the present as I heard shouting from outside.

  I rushed to the window and saw out there the stand-off, with Ronald and his militia on one end, ahead were the merchant guilders, to the right was King Nak-Kan a small horde, and below me were my thralls guarding the town hall.

  This would not do! I popped my head out of the window and shouted, “Stop! Hold! Stow your violent hearts, my friends!”

  The four groups ceased their arguing and turned their heads to me. A feeling of exhilaration filled me. It was my duty to turn things around, and turn them around I was determined to do.

  “We are not enemies,” I said, stepping out of the window. I could tell by many of the human facial expressions here that they were somewhat off put by my skeletal form, even some of the merchants. I did not know if I continued to sell the wrong image as I lifted my scythe, cast Levitate Object, and proceeded to slide down its shaft to the cobble. Well, regardless, no one spoke as I proceeded to dispel the spell and place the scythe back into my satchel.

  As I stood there, I couldn’t help but find the humor in the idea that this was the third time in a matter of a couple weeks that I was standing between multiple factions, Clyde’s statue shining in the sunlight, and I ready to use my wit and words to try and win their hearts. So far, I supposed I’d made minimal success with such speeches, but. . . Perhaps I didn’t need to win the hearts of everyone, just enough to make a difference in the voting polls, so to speak.

  I stepped forward to the center of the square, but this time I did not stand on the platform next to Clyde. This time I stood by it. I had no idea what I would say, or where it would go. But I spoke regardless, as that was what leaders did.

  “Is this all there is in town now?” I turned in a circle. “Our visitors here nearly account for equal number of the residents we have. Where did everyone go?”

  Ronald jabbed is dumb pointed-stick in my direction. “You made them leave, for good reason. You scared them off. Your tyranny ends here.”

  I nodded my head. “Indeed, I believe they have all left because of me. I must admit, my presence does not exactly invoke comfort, and my actions have signaled much more violence than this town has had in a many few years.” Then I took off my top hat. “But tyrant? No. I would leave should I be made to, and I ask: what I have made you do? Nothing. I have gone out to deal with the kobolds. I have gone out to deal with the bandits. I have gone out to deal with greater threats. But I have asked nothing from you except to give me a chance.”

  The watcher spat. “Enough from you. This town was prosperous before you came. You started us on this path.”

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  “Did I?” I said, looking straight at him. He averted my gaze. “Yes, I was the catalyst for many events. But it was not I who raided your cattle. It was not I who the paladins were here to protect you from, not originally anyway, and it is not I who cultivated the next coming threat which you probably know nothing about. You have lived in peace, many years of it I have gathered, and brushed your problems aside to maintain it. But peace is only as good as the foundation it stands upon. I. . . I failed in my first impression. I failed to protect dear Clyde, but it was not I who threw the first punch!” I cursed myself. Frustration filled my head. Had we not had this talk before? If they would not hear reason then, why would they listen to the same story with open hearts a second time?

  “Some of you say you do not want me, fine. Some of you have not deigned it worthy to give me a chance, fine. Any lesser man might leave, leave you to your own devices. But just past this town, creeping in from the forest, is a terrible curse that you are not prepared to face.”

  The townsfolk murmured and gasped. Ronald shook his head. “He is lying, there is nothing out there. The bandits are all dead.”

  By then, my forest party had pushed through the militia and now faced me.

  “Fern,” I said, “please bring forth the evidence of the coming plight.”

  The apothecary stared wide-eyed at the militia as he approached me with both the encased Nightfire sample and the Soul Mirror.

  I took them in my hands and held them up.

  The townsfolk gasped.

  “Yes, that’s right!” I said, prideful that I had engaged their reason. But then, I noted a good deal of them were averting their eyes or making disgusted faces. I looked up at the sample, and then to the mirror.

  “Hah!” Green Thumb’s image laughed. “Bunch of prudish bed-sleepers! Ain’t never seen nature, eh?”

  Oh, sweet Afterlives. I brought the mirror down to my face. “Would you kindly. . .”

  “What?” he scowled.

  “Never mind.” I placed the mirror into my satchel.

  Green Thumb protested as he went in. “Don’t you dare, you scrawny s—!”

  This was going nowhere, and the weeds would be at the town in a day, perhaps less. I needed to disperse these hostilities and somehow stall for enough time to deal with the Nightfire. How would I resolve this stand-off? It seemed that the merchant guild was on my side, and the kobolds had come to complete the trade—though in suspiciously larger numbers than I’d think necessary—so what was it? These people ahead of me, this militia ran by Ronald, how could I possibly sway them to my side? I had already fought and dispatched one enemy, allied with another, and even died for these ones. I’d ventured out twice to serve them, and yet still they turned on me? Still they saw me as their enemy? No. There was no way I could make them see me as a leader worth following. They would have to decide that for themselves. In fact, that was the whole point wasn’t it? The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Ronald may have done me a favor. You see, they called me a tyrant because I was the only one willing to lead. They followed Ronald and protested me because they wanted to force me out. But what after that? What if I was gone? Ronald’s whole campaign was built on a single goal, and beyond that. . .

  I turned to King Nak-Kan and bowed. “Your highness, please forgive this rude welcome. The people here have endured much and are fearful of new things. I ask that your horde travel with the merchant guild for proper accommodations, while for you I offer my office in the town hall, if you desire.”

  Nak-Kan clinked a gold coin between his ringed fingers. “Hmm. . . We may stay in human homes?”

  The other kobolds leaned in, eyes wide, tails wagging, mouths drooling.

  I glanced at Guild Master Vrak. He nodded back. I said to King Nak-Kan, “Yes, your highness. Please, enjoy the hospitality of Maplebrook.”

  A wide smile spread across the kobold’s lips. He raised his scaly arms high and declared, “Thanks be-be to Boney-Man!”

  “Thanks be-be to Boney-Man!” the horde shouted, as they mobbed up the stretch of road that the merchants led them in, except for the king and his litter bearers, which turned toward the town hall.

  I commanded my thralls to guide the king in as his palanquin was lowered. The rotund kobold waddled inside, while his rather large attendants stood guard over the mound of gold that now lay beside the town hall wall, save for one kobold who picked up a container of glistening diamonds and followed the king.

  While all of this happened, Ronald did absolutely nothing. He just. . . watched as I went about negotiating and directing. Perhaps he was beginning to doubt his mission. I could not tell. But it mattered not, for I did believe in my mission wholeheartedly.

  ***

  By The Three, thank you, thank you, Ronald thought. He had sworn that the kobolds, necromancer, and guildmates were about to destroy him and the last vestige of good folk left in Maplebrook. But now that Jevrick had sent all of his allies away, it would be far easier to deal with the dark wizard.

  He made a subtle nod to his other guardsmen, and together the six of them strode forward with their spears. Ronald was not so foolish to think that they could hurt the skeleton by weapon, but he hoped to distract the wizard long enough for a few torches to get started at the back of the town hall. With luck, Ronald and his supporters could be rid of the kobold king and possibly stoke the kobolds to attack Jevrick in retaliation, at which point the necromancer would have no choice but to kill the kobolds, thus shattering all the lines of deception he had built. With luck, the kobolds would swarm him before all being eradicated and give Ronald enough time to find a way to finish off the necromancer for good. The man had nearly died once to that paladin’s trident, surely there might be another way to finish the job? Either way, the plan was fool proof! They just had too—

  “Fair citizens of Maplebrook,” Jevrick said as he turned to the militia. “You are right to call me tyrant.”

  What? What trick was this man playing?

  The wizard continued. “I was never elected, no, I self-appointed myself to lead you.” He bowed his bald held, the gold cap on it glistening in the sun. “Forgive me, I had made a terrible error in not following the proper order to things.” He stood tall and placed the hat back on his head. “I believe it is far beyond time that we begin the mayoral election in earnest---with more than one candidate so that we may have a true and honorable democratic process!”

  As always, the mage was stark mad. What was his utter obsession with trying to host an election for mayor? Could he not just leave!

  “I,” Jevrick said, with a hand on his chest, “will humbly put my name, Jevrick La Kel, up for consideration. Who else would hope to be mayor? Let them step forward so that we may initiate this great race!”

  Ronald was dumbstruck. Well, it was quite a simple election then! Who would vote for the necromancer now? A simple game to be played. He took off his half-helm and said, “I, Watcher Ronald Tollard, declare myself a candidate in this election!”

  Jevrick lowered that devilish gaze of his, with those empty eye sockets and eternally grinning teeth. “Very well, then may the elections begin.”