Swamped

It wouldn't be impossible... we'd just have to give the council an out to save their pride. Bigfoot would probably give in if she felt like it was her idea to begin with, Claw would potentially support it outright and Mantis would try and save face sayin the whole thing was a trial brought on by the gods. Razor would hate it the idea and would probably try and use Mudviper as a scapegoat but it was my squad who led the intruders get past which ultimately jeopardized the attack if we let...crosswinds why are you smiling at me?

"Hang on," you say. "You don't want to be on the Council."

"Yeah, but I'll take it if nobody better's available."

"No, no, don't you see? You said it yourself: Mudviper's the best choice. I couldn't agree more. So why, exactly, aren't we pushing for her to take the job?"

Crosswinds folds their arms.

"Maybe you're behind on the news. They were sold on her loyalty. Even Razor. But they declared her incompetent for command. Sick joke, I know. But the decision's been made..."

"No, they're just angry the raid failed and looking for someone to take it out on. Mudviper was just a convenient scapegoat because she delivered the message they didn't like."

"Don't disagree. But the Council's not keen on changing their minds."

"Oh, it's a tall order, but hardly impossible. Sure, Razor's got a grudge, and I don't expect him to drop it any time soon, but we only need three. Claws shouldn't be hard to persuade; she's pretty sure the raid was a mistake anyways. Maybe she's upset about Rider, though, so it would be good if we could find out more about what really happened to him. Mantis - he's not that hard to grasp. What he appreciates is faith - not in the gods, per se, but in something. If we persuade Mudviper to actually talk to him, I think that would be enough to win him over."

"Good luck with that," Crosswinds sneers. "And there's still Bigfoot to contend with."

"Look, I know she usually sides with Razor. But I knew her before the council days. She was my squad leader for a while, even. And she thought the world of Mudviper in those days. I don't think the fact they hardly ever see eye to eye has changed that. The one catch is, she's got to think it's her own idea. She never much cared for other people telling her what to do; that's probably why she aimed for the council in the first place."

Crosswinds just gives a dismissive grunt.

"And none of that's going to mean a thing if you can't convince them the mess wasn't Mudviper's fault. And they won't accept it was their own."

"No? Then how about the incompetently-led squad that got four members captured by the intruders? The fact the Bogknights made it all the way here is the main reason why the attack was so readily disrupted."

Crosswinds looks at you for a while.

Then they burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just... I'm seeing now why Mudviper recommended you. It's not just that you put a solid plan together there, that's more than I thought you had in you. But look, the whole council is concerned with covering their own arses, and here you are tellin' me about your plan to just get up and moon them all. It's a riot!"

You're pretty sure that's a compliment, but you don't know how exactly you feel about that.

"Look, are you going to help out with this or not? I can't do this alone..."

And, of course, Crosswinds has disappeared, as they're prone to doing.

Well. You'll worry about the plan later, you suppose. For the moment, what are you going to do?

time to swallow the bitter pill + your pride for the greater good

news that the council is checking you out is starting to spread...it might be prudent to check in with Feldspar and see if Mudviper was able to send that shield down. You wouldn't put it past Gray-maw to "threaten" you to keep away from the council. Problem is, to Grey-maw, "threaten" means "break some limbs".

For a moment, you think about talking to Doc.

But you're not ready yet. You know that could easily turn ugly if you don't watch your words, and you don't trust yourself to keep your temper right now. You haven't even had a proper rest yet.

Still, maybe you should send advance notice. It can only get worse if she doesn't know you're coming.

You decide that you'll write her a note when you can consider the idea without clenching a fist.

For now, since Crosswinds bailed on you, you have to assume you're still angling for that slot. Which means you should probably check in with Feldspar on that shield.

Ideally, before Gray-maw gets any sense that you're a viable competitor. Razor has a harsh reputation, and he's done plenty to earn it; but next to his right-hand, he's downright restrained. An ambush before the actual trial would hardly be out-of-character.

You make your way to what passes for a smithy around here. Feldspar is reading a book, barely acknowledging you.
You can see the shield next to the forge. There's strips of metal all over it.

"It's more durable, no good for floating any more though," Feldspar growls as you examine it. "The metal's set up in reinforcing structures, see, so even if the wood ruptures in a few places, the overall shape of the shield holds up."

"I'd rather not have the wood rupture in the first place, honestly."

"You're doing a training match anyhow. That means wooden weapons. Razor's not stupid enough to play that dirty, not when it's so easy to get caught."

"Won't help much if Gray-maw decides to get the jump on me." You stop for a moment as it sinks in how much he seems to know. "Hang on, did Viper tell you what's going on?"

"Not a word. I just pieced things together from what she did tell me and what I was hearing from Sieve."

You can't help but notice he isn't expressing an opinion on your fitness for the council either way. Of course, if you brought that up, he'd probably clam up even harder.

Still, while you're here, you might have a few thoughts to share with him. He doesn't care much for talking, but you've managed to pry helpful advice out of him before.

What should you ask him about?

Feldspar will readily talk about weapons if you ask, he probably knows what Grey-maw is packing and might have a good accessory for you to go with the shield...if he likes you.

Wait, is he reading one of the books written by that Bogknight that was imprisoned ages ago? You tired one of them yourself but you couldn't stomach it. Surprised he's the type to enjoy it...or is there more to that book than you thought?

i can't tie it in directly with what's happening right now... but i really think it's totally in-character and kind of beautiful for us to determine to fall on our sword for the sake of advancing mudviper's career and i want us to stick with that plan. we are the one who constantly scapegoats themselves, becomes despised and ridiculed, for the sake of what is actually best.

"So. You done any work for Gray-maw lately?"

Gray-maw switches weapons often, mostly to throw off potential opponents. Of course, nobody can be competent with that many weapons; but with this much at stake, you're not expecting to face one of the riskier options.

"A slicer." He smiles just a little. "Shouldn't be too hard on that shield, though it'll be good at getting around it. Hope you can turn around fast."

You've known Feldspar long enough to know when he's making an offer.

"You got something else that can help me fight a slicer, then?"

"Maybe," he shrugs. Typical. He'll do standard arms for anyone who asks, once a month, but for anything beyond that he wants a favor.

So what can you offer him?

SpoilerShow

I think Corvus would absolutely try and give Mudviper the seat if he had the support, but it's likely that Mudviper would turn him down. She needs someone other than herself trustworthy on the council. Not to mention that having someone with a rational humility would drastically change the dynamic of the current council, which is another thing Rider's faction seems to want. Taking the council position is like Corvus falling on his sword. He doesn't want it, and it'll make him face a lot of past demons, Ash, Doc, and whatever other terrible things we think up for him.

Offer to personally take some shifts around the smithy, assuming you survive the fight.

He knows that's a poor trade for him, however. Especially if there's a potential new council member he's helping out.

The bogknights have a pretty stellar library over there, however, it wouldn't be too difficult for a new council member to get them to toss in a couple of books as part of the next prisoner exchange...they might even have that one Feldspar's been wanting.

"Y'know, I wouldn't mind doing some work for you," you say. "Take care of the boring stuff, like fixing the dents in armor."

You know he doesn't care much for fixing armor. It has to fit its wearer, so there's not a lot of room for creativity with it.

"Assuming I'm still in shape for it. Which would kind of depend on how the fight goes, y'know?"

No response. Probably Gray-maw promised him something, and you'll have to make a better offer.

"How's that book?" You glance at the author... oh. It's Corser, that young Bogknight with the weird fixations. Wouldn't have taken Feldspar for a fan of that stuff; maybe he's just run out of things to read.

"Better than your babbling."

Ouch.

"Well, it's just... we've got a whole six prisoners here, and the Bogknights have two of ours. Maybe three if something happened during the raid, I'm not up-to-date. Point is, there's going to be prisoner negotiations soon, and we'll have an edge in the negotiations."

You smirk a bit.

"And I bet I could swing a few more books from them. Give you first crack at them, of course. Even make requests if you're interested in anything in particular."

He gives you a glare. You're close, but not quite on the mark.

Oh hells. You know what he's telling you - he wants the book first. You've got a good guess at what book will satisfy him, at least, but you have no idea if the Bogknights even have it.

Off the top of your head, you can see two options if they do. Neither is all that good.

First option - try to make arrangements so that the fight happens after the prisoner exchange. The main problem with this is just the number of people you'd have to convince; you want them to delay the fight, to hurry up the negotiations, and to either let you handle the negotiations or to ask for a particular book as part of them. You'd really have to stretch what little credibility you've got to pull any of that off.

The other option is to slip into the Bogknight base and take the book yourself. Obviously, this is extremely risky; but if it works, you could have the book by tomorrow.

Of course, if they don't have it in the first place, neither of those plans is going to do you much good.

So how are you going to handle this?

Time to slink out and chat it up with those prisoners...better take the shield though.

Time to slink out and chat it up with those prisoners...better take the shield though.

Wait, let's see what other favors need pulling first. First, it's more efficient to make one trip if need be. Second, how high-priority is this guy, really?

Seems like the easiest thing to do for now is work out if the Bogknights even have the book, and your best chance at finding that out is talking to the prisoners. You thank Feldspar for his work and his time, grab the shield, and head out.

Of course, you can't just go in and ask to see any prisoner; you don't have the rank for that. You've got to put in a request with Locks, and hope it gets accepted.

You head over to Locks' room, and before interrupting her, you glance at the list already on her wall. Seems you're a bit lucky; only two have been questioned so far. You shouldn't have too much trouble getting in to see one of the others.

Unfortunately, one of those two is Dean, who you recall was something of a bookworm. Practically had his nose in a book the whole time when he was last here. He'd be the best to ask about books, but you're not likely to get a chance now.

The other one who's been questioned is Marshall. Actually been questioned twice. You're definitely not getting a session there without good reason; could be inconvenient if Mudviper wants you passing a message along later, but for now that's probably not your main concern.

Seems there's also some kind of mark next to Mary Baker's name, though you don't know what it means. You could ask, but Locks doesn't like answering questions. Unless you've got a particular reason to question Mary, it's probably best to leave it.

The other prisoners are Walter, Jackson, and Tom Tenth. Tenth would be the one who's shield you've gone and swiped; that might be an awkward conversation.

So who should you question?

i honestly forgot who jackson is, which means it's time to meet him all over again

Jackson. He was the one who tied you all up. Did quite the job of it, too; you couldn't get your ropes loose at all.

Payback's a good enough excuse. You clear your throat and tap politely on Locks' desk.

"What do you want?" she says, scowling. Business as usual, really.

"I'd like to question Jackson," you say.

"What for?"

"He's the one who bound my squad last night. I'd like a few words with him."

"Yeah, okay," Locks grumbles. She calls down the hall. "Hey! You there! Get that, uh, Jackson guy to an interrogation room!"

Locks isn't very good with names. The guards who have to work with her are used to it, though.

You sit and wait for a while until another guard comes by and leads you to the room. Naturally, this procedure is more about making the prisoners uncomfortable as they wait for their interrogator to arrive than about any sort of convenience for you. You have to wonder if it's worth all the trouble.

Regardless, you're guided in and find Jackson sitting down. You dismiss the guard.

"What do you want with me?" Jackson asks. He's more than a little upset, which is hardly surprising.

So what questions do you have for him?

information. we want... information. information. information. by hook or by crook, we will.

We should ask him about his teammates. The chances this one bogknight knows about the library at their base is slim, but getting intel on the group should be helpful.

Hang on...

Who the hell tied this guy up with ROPE?

"I want to know what's up with your little crew here."

He gives you a look like he doesn't know what you're talking about.

"Your group. Most of you haven't been in the Bogknights more than a year, you included. So why'd you decide to team up?"

"It was Dean's idea," Jackson mutters.

"Then why did he pick all of you? I know you bring the rope talents, but what about the rest? Especially Marshall, who's been here barely a week and already lost an arm. Why pick a bunch of newmucks?"

"We weren't planning to go in this deep. Dean was planning to get in by himself. He figured if we were caught, new knights would be punished more lightly."

"But you must have had some skills that made him pick you out."

"I've got my rope skills, plus I know the layout of the swamp better than most newcomers. Walter was there for his patrol expertise. Tom Tenth brought his shield, which we figured might be useful for rougher waters." He glances at the shield in your hand. "Guess it caught your eye, too."

"I'm sure you Bogknights won't have much trouble finding him a new one," you say. "So what of the others? We have Mary Baker and Marshall in custody, and I know you had another teammate who slipped away. Why'd Dean want them to come along, and was there anyone else?"

Jackson gets quiet.

"All right, one question at a time, then. Who's the girl who got away?"

"Her name slips my mind," Jackson said. "Good swimmer, that's about all I remember."

"And what about Mary Baker?"

"She's good at throwing and catching. Guess Dean might have had some plans there."

"Good, good. Now. What about Marshall? Why was the newest member of the Bogknights, who's only got one arm, brought along on this mission?"

Jackson doesn't seem to want to say anything.

"I don't know," he finally concludes. "It was Dean's idea. Why don't you ask him?"

"And were there any others in your group?"

"Don't see how that's your business."

"Well, if they were lost in the swamp, I'd think you'd want us to help find them. It's much safer in here than it is out there. Why, who knows what sort of trouble your swimmer friend might be in already."

"I think she can handle herself."

Well, this seems to be a dead end. You're not really getting a sense of who to ask about the library, either. Maybe you can use this as an excuse to question Dean, though. You'll need to find an officer you can get permission from...

It suddenly strikes you that Jackson's tied up with rope.

And chances are, nobody in the Marshguards knows their way around a rope like he does.

The thought comes to you just in mind to get your shield ready to block as Jackson's ropes fall to the ground and he rushes at you.

Now what?

well, you've got the defensive advantage what with the shield and all. if this is going to be an old-fashioned fist-fight, your best bet is, all pun intended, rope-a-dope.

Oh ho, not this time. After you lost the first time, you spent hours working out in your cell, since you had let your routine go during the month long rain. You've been keeping that routine up when you've gotten the chance. The second time, you were dealing with a skyslicer blow to the head. And both times, you've ruminated over exactly what you should have done, and how your opponents fought.

This isn't a surprise attack, you're not dealing with head injury. And you are NOT going to let him tie you up to the shield he thinks you're going to prop up against. The cell door is locked, his only real option for escape is to tie you up and coerce you into opening the door.

Plant the shield hard in the ground and step back. It's unlikely he's truly unarmed. He's not foolish and wouldn't have let go of the best weapon someone could have given him. You recall he was right handed, so the attack should come from your left. Wait for either wrist or rope to show itself, then grab it, and PULL HARD. Get up close to him and pin his hands to the ground.

Then you can continue your questioning.

Why did Marshall come anyway? He's been curious about the marshguards - even feigned that dumb leg injury to talk to you. Did Mudviper have something to do with it?

Maybe you can get Jackson to be a little more cooperative. You'll keep his little escape attempt a secret if he keeps a secret for you: That Marshall came by to chat with you while you were imprisoned at the bogknight base, and seemed pretty interested in the Rider and what was over here. Maybe he wanted more than to help you all "apologize".

You've got to think quickly.

Jackson's charge is more than likely a diversion. It doesn't make a lot of sense for him to drop the rope and go for brute force.

But what would he do with it... of course. He'd tie you to your shield. But you've got just the counter for that. You lodge it in a small crack between the floorboards and back away, staying low in hopes that he doesn't spot you.

And indeed, he doesn't. His rope slips around the shield, in the spot where your feet would be. That gives you a chance to grab it and pull.

There's a bit of a thud as his head hits the shield; you caught him off guard. Now's your chance. You slip back around and grab him by the wrists.

"I'll have to make a note to recommend actual shackles," you say. "But you know, there's something I'm curious about. I don't think you'll know the answer, but you might just be curious about it too."

"Don't care," Jackson says.

"All right, well, I guess I won't tell you that Marshall went to all the trouble of faking a leg injury just to get a little time alone with me when I was at your base." You smirk a little. "Oh, whoops, I guess I let that slip out."

Jackson doesn't say anything.

"Seemed pretty interested in Rider, in particular. I can't say for sure why, but you know. It seems a little odd to bring someone with so little combat experience along on a mission like this. I wonder if Marshall had some other reason for coming here?"

There's still no response.

"Something for you to think about, isn't it?"

Then Jackson bursts into laughter.

"You think I'm worried about where Marshall's loyalties lie? Sure, some might find that suspicious, but not me. I've got three cousins in the Marshguards."

Well. You weren't expecting that answer. Where do you go from here?

kick him in the back and ask him about books

Wait...3 cousins...it could be a bluff but...

Starling is young for a marshguard, the youngest in your crew actually. Most marshguards are crooks, but some are orphans with nowhere to go - they rarely survive the trip to the swamp but Starling had gotten letters from her brothers in the marshguards (The brothers were actual crooks, but even they have family)

The bothers had urged Starling to seek help from their wealthier uncle after the accident. They weren't on good terms but surely they'd help an innocent orphan girl, their own flesh and blood. He turned her away, quite unceremoniously- Starling still has a scar from where the whip fell.

She was able to message that she was coming. When the brothers, Scratch and Lighter got the message, they begged Rider to help them find her, but he refused. The rain was due to arrive that week.

You were in a darker place back then. You were barred from the brew and dealing with the worst part of sobriety - being left alone with your own worthless self.

You volunteered for the mission. Hells, you practically mutinied for it. Not that you really expected to come back. You certainly didn't expect to actually find her, or to be stuck in an outpost with her and Scratch after the rain claimed Lighter.

Turns out your skill as a courier came in handy. You carried her back to the base the night the rain let up. You reported to Rider and were locked in your quarters as punishment. Though, the real punishment came when Rider inexplicably assigned the young Starling (you always wondered if she chose that name to mimic yours) to your new squad.

Scratch was out with poison last you checked, and Starling was on post with Rivers when you were tied up, so the thought hadn't occurred to you, but there is some resemblance...if Jackson is related to that asshole of a family that sent a young girl to wander the swamp then

kick him in the back and ask him about books

Yeah, you're done with this punk. Get to the point and make sure Locks makes the shackles nice and tight.

Three cousins.

You do know of three siblings in the Marshguards... or rather, two now. And now that it's crossed your mind... there's more than a little resemblance.

You kick him to the floor and step on his back.

"Let me take a little guess. Siblings. Two brothers and a sister. The brothers got in trouble and ran away from home, to here. Still kept in touch. Then their parents died. Am I getting close?"

"What the hell?"

"Because if they're your cousins, you've got some nerve showing your face around here."

"The hell is wrong with you? You don't like me, fine, but at least tell me why."

For whatever reason, maybe just because you need to get it off your chest, you tell him.

It was three years ago. Gods, you were in a bad place then.

Rider was chewing you out over something, no doubt deservedly. But then Spark and Lighter interrupted.

They'd gotten a message from their sister, abandoned after their parents died. She'd been turned away by their uncle, refused for some petty reason.

Not just refused. Forced away.

With nowhere else to turn, she said she was heading for the swamp. She couldn't afford a carriage, so she was walking.

But the rain was coming. The annual storm. The boys hadn't written about the rain before; hadn't wanted to scare her. If she arrived, she might try to push through during the rain. And there was no chance of getting a crow back to her in time.

So they begged Rider to let them leave and try to catch her, even though the fortress was to be locked down later that day.

Rider refused. Said it was too dangerous. Told them it was a fool's errand. Finished giving you an earful and left.

That's when you stuck your goddamn nose into things. Between your anger at Rider, and the fact that you practically didn't care if you got eaten by rainspawn at that point, you told them, hell with Rider, let's save your sister.

You stole enough rations to last the rain, and knocked out three guards on your way out. Who knows how much that delayed the lockdown. You sure as hell didn't care.

Reckless as you were, it all might have worked out if you hadn't run into a Bogknight patrol as you headed for the edge of the swamp.

Their leader said you were in Bogknight territory, and with the rain so near, that meant it was best if you surrendered.

That wasn't an option for Spark or Lighter. And you, you didn't think a cell would offer the release you were after.

Lighter was the first to act. He struck the squad leader in the face and told you to run.

They were still fighting when you reached the underbrush. You heard the leader shout to his squad not to pursue; to leave it all to him.

Somehow, you made it out before the storm hit. You got caught in the rain, but it was on the periphery of the swamp, beyond where the rainspawn ventured. Far enough out to catch the girl as she arrived.

She didn't remember her brothers that well, she'd been so young when they ran. At first she thought you were one of them.

But despite your ill state, you told her the truth. Told her of the dangers lurking in the rain, and that they had most likely claimed her brother.

She cried for days. She didn't have much else to do as you waited for the rain to stop.

As for you, you spent every day of that month asking yourself "why didn't I fight him instead of Lighter". She deserved the company of both her brothers, not your worthless self.

She seemed to appreciate you, though. Called you "bird man".

In time, though, it ended. And you made your way back.

Rider was furious. You took the fall; Spark had suffered enough from losing his brother. You were confined to quarters for a while, until Rider had calmed down and worked out a more suitable punishment.

When he finally let you out, he lead you down the corridor and told you that Spark wanted to be called Scratch now.

Scratch as in "nothing". He wasn't the same without his brother. Could barely even stand to look his own sister in the face; he thought he'd let her down.

You didn't have anything to say to that.

Then Rider introduced you to your new squad. Said it was your job to get them in shape. You recognized a few of them; troublemakers, mostly.

And then he introduced the last member. You hadn't noticed before, but you recognized her and lost it.

Then she told you her new name was Starling. Another bird. Holy hell, did she actually respect you? You didn't deserve that.

Jackson just listens. Even after he's heard what he wanted to know, he realized you needed to get this out.

"My father was a goddamn asshole," he says, looking down at the ground. He's ashamed, and you can tell because you've worn that same expression yourself many a time.

"I wasn't even there when he kicked her out. I was in the navy, because I wanted to get away from him. Wasn't in touch with his sister's side of the family either, there was some falling out I never knew the details of. I only found out she and her partner died last year."

"So Lighter's death must be news to you, too."

"I never knew him or his brother," Jackson sighs. "But the main reason I came here was to find Starling. To extend the hand my father refused her. When I learned about the Bogknights, I signed up, hoping I might find some way to talk to her."

"She's a Marshguard now. I doubt she'll leave the swamp. This is her family now."

"Maybe. But I want to give her the choice."

Goddamn you messed that up. You let your anger get the better of you. Why should this man take after his worthless father? Not everyone's as bad as you at escaping the shadow of their parentage.

"Tell you what," you say. "I'll introduce you to Starling, on one condition. You may have noticed that reading material is a bit sparse around here."

"That's one word for it. Not many readers in the Marshguards?"

You've been working on improving that, but it's true.

"Yeah. But we've got some avid readers around here who could always do with more. And from what I understand, you've got more books at your base."

"Our medic's got a small library. Archivist has a bigger one, though he's not as willing to part with the books. So, what, you want me to get you a book when I get back? That's your favor?"

"It'd help me out."

Jackson shrugs.

"What's the book called?"

actually let's just set up a full underground book rental deal