[Salyssa] I don't even know how to play a harmonica
Well. That came within two steps of being a complete disaster.
When I arrived at the archivists' desk, I should have realized Librarian Eleanore wasn't there; in her place was a Forsaken I didn't recognize, and standing around the desk were several Horde soldiers, orcs and taurens. I almost decided to leave it at that, but I went up to the desk, gave my name, and asked if there was any work for me. The Forsaken checked a list, made a sign to the guards, and while two of them grabbed my arms, let me know that I was under arrest. He ignored me when I asked why, and the guards didn't say anything as they escorted me - surprisingly gently, when they realized I wasn't going to fight them - to the holding cells under Loraderon. They searched me, took away my bags, weapons, and magic items, then put me in a cell with a blood elf and left.
The blood elf was in very bad shape. Not physically harmed, that I could see, but nearly broken mentally. When I was put in the cell, he didn't respond to me at all, so I went to the barred door and tried to find out what was going on from the other prisoners, across and down the hall, all Forsaken as far as I could tell. They asked me - something, some kind of code phrase obviously; when I didn't respond properly they laughed and began taunting me with descriptions of the tortures that would be used in my questioning, which made my cellmate gibber and sob.
Fortunately, when I was searched they missed the translation charm, so I could understand his raving. He'd been offered money, of course, and told that the errands and minor tasks he was running would allow this group of Forsaken to cleanse the world, and right all its wrongs. Apparantly they'd promised that the Sin'dorei would not be affected by the new plague, but all the other races would be, and that after everybody else was dead, the Forsaken and blood elves would build separate (but equal!) kingdoms and rule the world in peace and freedom. Either he was dumb enough to believe that, or he wanted the money badly enough to pretend he did. According to him, he hadn't realized that what he was doing was treason against the Horde - except maybe the part where they'd told him only to talk to people who gave the secret sign, and not trust anybody else. And possibly the bit when he helped ambush and kill someone they'd suspected of being a "Horde loyalist" spy. Idiot.
The guards hadn't taken away my cigarette case either, and it was almost full. I tried to smoke them slowly, as I was starting to get the impression that I'd be in there for a while. Which I was.
I guess I can sum up by saying that I was found not guilty of treason against the Horde, just barely. Part of the reason it took so long was that I was able to give very specific evidence of my own personal crusade to sabotage the plague that Apothecary Putress had been developing (despite not knowing anything about this secret faction), but they had to send for the scrolls and documents I'd falsified, then have them checked by an apothecary. It turns out that a few of the changes I made may have accounted for the failure of the plague used at the Wrathgate to kill Arthas. The apothecary who was checking my work kept giving me increasingly nasty looks as this information came out. I suspect that he's one of the ones who hedged his bets and made sure he'd end up on the winning side no matter who came out on top. That kind usually doesn't bother with revenge, unless it's easy to come by at low cost, but I'll have to be careful.
At some point, my cellmate was taken away and not brought back. This was shortly after I'd run out of cigarettes, so I didn't pay much attention.
Anyway. By the end of the inquiry, there seemed to be some confusion about whether I should be punished for deliberately sabotaging the efforts of the Forsaken, or rewarded for deliberately sabotaging the efforts of Apothecary Putress and his cronies, so they settled for warning me that I'd be watched, praising me for my "courage", giving me my stuff back, and letting me go. And now I'm home, with a case of fresh cigarettes, and no job.
I'd sum this up with something clever, but I just can't think of anything. I want a drink.
When I arrived at the archivists' desk, I should have realized Librarian Eleanore wasn't there; in her place was a Forsaken I didn't recognize, and standing around the desk were several Horde soldiers, orcs and taurens. I almost decided to leave it at that, but I went up to the desk, gave my name, and asked if there was any work for me. The Forsaken checked a list, made a sign to the guards, and while two of them grabbed my arms, let me know that I was under arrest. He ignored me when I asked why, and the guards didn't say anything as they escorted me - surprisingly gently, when they realized I wasn't going to fight them - to the holding cells under Loraderon. They searched me, took away my bags, weapons, and magic items, then put me in a cell with a blood elf and left.
The blood elf was in very bad shape. Not physically harmed, that I could see, but nearly broken mentally. When I was put in the cell, he didn't respond to me at all, so I went to the barred door and tried to find out what was going on from the other prisoners, across and down the hall, all Forsaken as far as I could tell. They asked me - something, some kind of code phrase obviously; when I didn't respond properly they laughed and began taunting me with descriptions of the tortures that would be used in my questioning, which made my cellmate gibber and sob.
Fortunately, when I was searched they missed the translation charm, so I could understand his raving. He'd been offered money, of course, and told that the errands and minor tasks he was running would allow this group of Forsaken to cleanse the world, and right all its wrongs. Apparantly they'd promised that the Sin'dorei would not be affected by the new plague, but all the other races would be, and that after everybody else was dead, the Forsaken and blood elves would build separate (but equal!) kingdoms and rule the world in peace and freedom. Either he was dumb enough to believe that, or he wanted the money badly enough to pretend he did. According to him, he hadn't realized that what he was doing was treason against the Horde - except maybe the part where they'd told him only to talk to people who gave the secret sign, and not trust anybody else. And possibly the bit when he helped ambush and kill someone they'd suspected of being a "Horde loyalist" spy. Idiot.
The guards hadn't taken away my cigarette case either, and it was almost full. I tried to smoke them slowly, as I was starting to get the impression that I'd be in there for a while. Which I was.
I guess I can sum up by saying that I was found not guilty of treason against the Horde, just barely. Part of the reason it took so long was that I was able to give very specific evidence of my own personal crusade to sabotage the plague that Apothecary Putress had been developing (despite not knowing anything about this secret faction), but they had to send for the scrolls and documents I'd falsified, then have them checked by an apothecary. It turns out that a few of the changes I made may have accounted for the failure of the plague used at the Wrathgate to kill Arthas. The apothecary who was checking my work kept giving me increasingly nasty looks as this information came out. I suspect that he's one of the ones who hedged his bets and made sure he'd end up on the winning side no matter who came out on top. That kind usually doesn't bother with revenge, unless it's easy to come by at low cost, but I'll have to be careful.
At some point, my cellmate was taken away and not brought back. This was shortly after I'd run out of cigarettes, so I didn't pay much attention.
Anyway. By the end of the inquiry, there seemed to be some confusion about whether I should be punished for deliberately sabotaging the efforts of the Forsaken, or rewarded for deliberately sabotaging the efforts of Apothecary Putress and his cronies, so they settled for warning me that I'd be watched, praising me for my "courage", giving me my stuff back, and letting me go. And now I'm home, with a case of fresh cigarettes, and no job.
I'd sum this up with something clever, but I just can't think of anything. I want a drink.