Unholy War XVI: I learned to bite the hand

[Faith Augustin]

8th Ymiden, 719
following this

Unholy War
From the start of life
To my dying day
In the dark of night
And the burning light of day
It's a Bloody Fight
]But I can't walk away
I'm prime, for the front line
Unholy war. Unholy War.
I'll try. I'll fight until I die
It's an unholy war
I see, I know, you'll always be.
I see your burning fuse
From a mile away
I took your cruel abuse
Took Away My Shame
I learned to bite the hand....

It was a few breaks after they'd administered the Zapnip Tincture and Faith was confident that they'd got all the adjustments made, too. Now, it was time for Jess to do what Faith had asked her here for. "Alright. So, the Order of the Adunih, the Isonomia members. I've also written to all the members of the noble families I know, the Iron Hand, the Volareon riders, the orphanage and school, too." Faith counted off the people she had written letters to. "We need this to flood the place, I will not have people selling it. It's openly, loudly, obnoxiously free for everyone. It's in two parts, the Zapnip tincture is taken immediately after the first part." Faith had written it all down and she made sure to do so very clearly. "You'll take care of it and stay in touch? I want it out, quickly and efficiently. Please, every minute saves lives."

Jess nodded. "I'm on it, Faith. I'll be in touch, I'll keep you updated, every step of the way." Faith breathed out and handed everything over that was needed.

She had to - she couldn't possibly do all of it and she knew, without a doubt that she needed to let this go. Then, she turned to Jimmy. "Alright, then Jimmy. You're clear what we're doing, yes? I'm going to put my mark on you, so I'll be able to know how you are. We're going to cure you of being a carrier, and then we're going to take all these memories. You won't remember any of this, but what you will remember, very clearly, is receiving these orders." Faith gestured to the piece of parchment in Carter's hands.

Faith, it had to be said, did not feel like a good person right in this moment. However, that was by the bye. She had to do what was necessary.

And so, she checked everything one last time and then, she and Carter got on with what needed to be done. After all, it would take some time and they would need to work efficiently. The two of them - Carter and she - had worked this out meticulously (to the point that he'd called her an obsessive crazy woman) and she was confident that they'd done it as fully as they could. If she ever met Alistair Venora again, Faith considered with a smile, she'd let him know. Or, in fairness, maybe not. All things considered, she wasn't feeling like they'd be likely to sit down and have a chat, these trials. Of course, she might be wrong.

It was strange, Faith considered. No one remembered Alistair except those who were Vri marked and knew him. She couldn't help but wonder if she was the only one and, here she was, standing against him. It made no sense to her that Alistair was a necromancer, it was horrifying and truly disturbing to her. He had done so much for her and she was - and would always be - so incredibly grateful to the man. She found it almost impossible to put together all the pieces she knew, but she'd had to do so. And then, there was reality in front of her and she knew that - one trial - they'd have to face it.

But this trial, she was focused on making sure that these resources were hers.

[Faith Augustin]

Once everything was done that they needed to do, Faith returned to Zuudaria and left the final part of the mission with Carter. That was necessary as, once his memories were gone, Jimmy couldn't see her again. So, she got on with one of the very many jobs which she had to do. It was never ending, but Faith was more than pleased that she had been able to cure the plague in Rynmere. She would need to write to Zarik Venora and let him know. And, in fairness, she thought, she should probably apologise to him. She wouldn't, because it would mean that everything that she and Carter had done had been for no reason.

"I don't like it, but it should work, I think." Faith glanced at Carter and he nodded as he walked in, having just returned to Zuudaria. "Alright, so, we have the situation that we planned?" Carter nodded in response to Faith's question. "To go back over it, one more time."

After testing the cure and knowing that it worked, Faith had discovered some side effects she was not happy with. Namely, that the people who took it were becoming linked, somehow. She had no intention of watching it to see if they ended up becoming one thing or something else weird, so she had worked on a cure for that. Zapnip had provided the answer and so, once Jess had gone Faith had made sure that Jimmy - the captain of the Venora fleet which had been handed over to Ellasin in payment for the return of an important Venora noble - was neither a carrier or infected. Once she was happy with that, and had tested his blood again, just to be sure (much to Jimmy's displeasure), Faith had put her Greater Servant's Mark on him and marked him as a Beacon in her dreaming.

Then, she had left.

Originally, she was going to take his memories herself, but that had a number of inherant risks associated with it and, so, she had instead entrusted Carter with the Tracking Device she and Padraig had created. Before she left, she'd told Jimmy what it would do, and then she'd returned to Zuudaria. It was there that Carter picked up the story to tell her. Jimmy had used the tracking device - giving them more information on Ellasin and her whereabouts, of course, but also making him lose his memory. It was a much better solution. Once Carter was sure that Jimmy had lost all of his memories, up to the point that he saw Faith - then, he had begun the process of telling the Venoran what they had agreed together.

"I'm sure that he believed it. He knows me, but not as a Zuuda, as an informant and seeker of information," Carter said, and Faith nodded. "As we thought, they'd been told nothing, really. He had no idea who he was working for - he believed that it was for one mission." Faith sighed slightly, she did not like the deceit which she was allowing to continue, but it was necessary.

"And you gave him the letter?" Faith asked and Carter nodded.

"It sealed the deal," he said.

[Faith Augustin]

The letter.

When she had suggested it to Carter, Faith had rather surprised herself by the train of thought which had led her to it. But Carter had been pleased, beyond that, and they'd fine tuned the plan. It had been, of course, the letter from Zarik Venora which had given her the final bit of the puzzle she'd needed. That letter had come with the seal of House Venora and, between that and Faith's excellent knowledge of the house and clear understanding of etiquette, the rest was easy.

A letter, to Jimmy, as the captain of the Venora forces. That letter informed him that they had been tricked by a necromancer known as Ellasin. That, in good faith, they had made a deal in order to secure the safety of the house (and, of course, the letter made it sound like they hadn't known she was a necromancer when they made the deal), which had relied on utter secrecy. Yet, as soon as she had the forces, Ellasin had gone to the press, and the other noble houses, informing them of what had happened and implying that House Venora were somehow complicit in the dastardly and reprehensible deeds committed by Ellasin.

Action was required. Immediate, and appropriate action and so Jimmy was instructed that he now followed the commands of one Faith Augustin, a friend to House Venora (including Duke Oakleigh) and currently leading the charge against Ellasin. However, they could not tell who was friend and who was foe and, as such, Jimmy was to maintain the illusion that they were in the same situation as they had been. He was to take orders and do as he was instructed until such time as he was provided with the opportunity to assist Dr Augustin in her fight.

Furthermore, Jimmy should expect to receive contact with the fleet captains of every other noble house and he was to oversee those who came to their side. Again, this would need to be done quietly. Any and all correspondence from Ellasin or the Coven should be read carefully and then placed in his lock-chest in his cabin. Which was also where he should put the money.

Having made a Beacon of Jimmy, that night while he was aboard ship, Faith dream-walked to his cabin, and fit an echo box into his lock-chest. She had sent letters to each of the Noble houses, of course, with Jess when she had distributed the plague-cure. But those letters each one of them spelled out Ellasin's plans - the evidence she had which showed that Ellasin had created the plague - how Faith knew that Ellasin was blackmailing and extorting all of the noble houses for protection money and more. And then, Faith had asked them for their fleets. Not permanently, but with Rynmere and Andaris in lock-down, they were no use to the families and it was her intention to end the threat of the Coven once and for all.

If they ignored it, of course, that was up to them. But she made sure to mention that she already had the support of two of the noble families. That this plague cure had no cost associated with it and, she would be ridding them of a very difficult situation. So, she asked (and she wrote to Cassander as well, she really was not bothered about the whole 'king' thing) most humbly if they would assist her. If they did, she assured them in the letter - she would be sure to announce such.

"So, the implication is," Carter said with a smile. "That if they don't help you, they'll be ostracised by the other houses, are cowards, and you'll tell everyone?" Faith nodded. That was about the sum of it. "I have to ask," Carter's face showed that he assumed this to be a lie. "Who the second house you have the help of is?"

"Warrick," Faith said, without hesitation. Carter looked at her and Faith reached into her satchel. "I have here a letter from Rafael Warrick, proclaiming his love and telling me that he'll do anything."

Carter looked at it and laughed. "You're a bad, bad woman. I love it."

Faith smiled and shrugged. "Omelettes and eggs."

[Octopie]

Unlocking Your Rewards!

Comments

The intrigue is strong in this one, potential betrayals, actual betrayals, sprinkled with a heavy dose of little fancy lies that the upper class tell themselves. Faith is turning into quiet the tactician here, all her ducks in row waiting to be deployed, and I really liked the minimal dialogue in here!

Points

10

Can be use for magic? Yes or No

Knowledge

Skill
Tactics: 3 x knowledge.
Intelligence: 3 x knowledge

Non
NA

Loot

NA

Wealth

NA

Renown

NA

Injuries

NA

Skill Level: Appropriate