Town of Enberch, Glacian Midlands (Saturday evening, Fandom Time)
Long before the notice was hammered onto the doors in town, the people on the other side were discussing the contents. It was no secret, they'd been warned it was coming. That didn't make the conversations about it any gentler.
In the early days, the tithes had been matter of course. Even the increases had been understandable - they didn't remember war, but they knew that they had to do their part to support the Queen against the usurper. That was just how life went. But then the usurper had left for the north. And she'd taken no spoils and no lives. In fact, word was getting around the midlands that this would-be-Queen of Glacia was actually not commanding armies of Warlord Princes or sending wild animals after children in the night, or laying siege to whole towns until they succumb to her rule.
So where were their extra tithes going?
The talk behind closed doors moved from understanding and support to confusion and irritation. For the duration of this 'war', it seemed the only thing that the town of Enberch had seen was loss. And when the rations started, even the strongest supporter of Enberch's Queen, her own mother's cousin, was asking questions.
The latest demands were the last straw. This would mean that taverns would run out of ale and the bakery could make no bread, let alone what it would do to families. Food for the animals was already limited and with the winter still months from ending...
This, as the guild-master pointed out, was no way to run a business, let alone a town.
And the question was asked, what were they going to do?
---
Ulrich came running back into the camp, obviously distraught. "We have a problem! A very big problem!"
Everyone looked up. "Recognized again?" Mark asked, eyebrow raised, though his tone wasn't as teasing as it should have been; probably because Ulrich's own face was so pale and drawn.
"There's discontent over tithing in the town..."
"Not news," Kirt prodded. "What's wrong, Ul."
Ulrich didn't get a chance to speak before a giant fireball lit up the sky in the direction of the town.
"...Oh, hell's fire and Mother Night."
---
Momoko pulling the wagon had gotten them all there faster than walking alone, and along the way, Ulrich had filled them in. The people in the town had finally become fed up with the taxes and the strains of the war. Unable to get satisfying answers from their town's Queen, they'd refused to turn over any goods or money, stating that they would starve by their own hand rather than allow another to do it to them.
The fireball, as they found when they followed the smoke, was the townsmen setting fire to the grain stores. No one was moving to put out the flames still licking the last of the structure. In fact, it seemed they were almost excited by it.
"Oh no," Dinah turned to Momoko. "We've got a riot coming on. In a Blood town."
Momoko rubbed the back of her neck, nodding. Fortunately Momoko had some training in riot control while in the Police Academy. Unfortunately, her training had never mentioned how to do it without riot gear and against people with magic powers. "This is totally not going to go well."
Still, they had to try... Riots were not good. Anywhere. "Okay! This is going to be hard, team! It's like having an angry drunk in your face and trying to start a fight, only you have to stay calm and not fight back. At all. No matter what they say or do. All you do it stand there and make sure no one gets hurt and as little damage gets done as possible."
"Why? Why not just let them go ahead and do what they want?"
[For Glacians!]
In the early days, the tithes had been matter of course. Even the increases had been understandable - they didn't remember war, but they knew that they had to do their part to support the Queen against the usurper. That was just how life went. But then the usurper had left for the north. And she'd taken no spoils and no lives. In fact, word was getting around the midlands that this would-be-Queen of Glacia was actually not commanding armies of Warlord Princes or sending wild animals after children in the night, or laying siege to whole towns until they succumb to her rule.
So where were their extra tithes going?
The talk behind closed doors moved from understanding and support to confusion and irritation. For the duration of this 'war', it seemed the only thing that the town of Enberch had seen was loss. And when the rations started, even the strongest supporter of Enberch's Queen, her own mother's cousin, was asking questions.
The latest demands were the last straw. This would mean that taverns would run out of ale and the bakery could make no bread, let alone what it would do to families. Food for the animals was already limited and with the winter still months from ending...
This, as the guild-master pointed out, was no way to run a business, let alone a town.
And the question was asked, what were they going to do?
---
Ulrich came running back into the camp, obviously distraught. "We have a problem! A very big problem!"
Everyone looked up. "Recognized again?" Mark asked, eyebrow raised, though his tone wasn't as teasing as it should have been; probably because Ulrich's own face was so pale and drawn.
"There's discontent over tithing in the town..."
"Not news," Kirt prodded. "What's wrong, Ul."
Ulrich didn't get a chance to speak before a giant fireball lit up the sky in the direction of the town.
"...Oh, hell's fire and Mother Night."
---
Momoko pulling the wagon had gotten them all there faster than walking alone, and along the way, Ulrich had filled them in. The people in the town had finally become fed up with the taxes and the strains of the war. Unable to get satisfying answers from their town's Queen, they'd refused to turn over any goods or money, stating that they would starve by their own hand rather than allow another to do it to them.
The fireball, as they found when they followed the smoke, was the townsmen setting fire to the grain stores. No one was moving to put out the flames still licking the last of the structure. In fact, it seemed they were almost excited by it.
"Oh no," Dinah turned to Momoko. "We've got a riot coming on. In a Blood town."
Momoko rubbed the back of her neck, nodding. Fortunately Momoko had some training in riot control while in the Police Academy. Unfortunately, her training had never mentioned how to do it without riot gear and against people with magic powers. "This is totally not going to go well."
Still, they had to try... Riots were not good. Anywhere. "Okay! This is going to be hard, team! It's like having an angry drunk in your face and trying to start a fight, only you have to stay calm and not fight back. At all. No matter what they say or do. All you do it stand there and make sure no one gets hurt and as little damage gets done as possible."
"Why? Why not just let them go ahead and do what they want?"
[For Glacians!]