The Office Of Thane Of Tirisfal

[Drop Bear]

General Hughes wasn't happy. His orders to his Commander had been clear and precise, and he hadn't expected anyone, especially the new Thane, to overrule them. As such, he was going to talk to him now, not the next day as the note he had recieved said.
Riding up to the new offices of the Thane with a contingent of soldiers, the large man looked very set and very determined, face stoney and eyes cold.

Pulling up near the small group, he didn't bother dismounting as he said, "Are you the Thane? And if so, why in the name of Maj did you let that caravan in! For all we know they are a second attacking force ready to drive the survivors into the ocean! Almost certainly there are spies in there! Thane or not, I am the General of the armed forces here and in charge of keeping the citizens as safe as I can." He turned and looked over his shoulder. "Commander Waugh, take as many men as we can spare and surround the camp of the caravan. Not a one of them is to leave the city until their identity is verified and all their goods are checked. Go." Commander Waugh saluted and rode off.

Looking defiantly at the Thane, Hughes added, "Is there anything else you need me for?"

[Palacrisis D Jones]

Palacrisis looked up at the angry general and then turned to Taras

Correct me if I am wrong Taras but as Thane I have the overall command of the army of Tirisfal

He turned back to General Hughes and spoke quietly and calmly to him Serale my dear general how pleasant to meet you for the first time .Now sir as your commanding officer I am going to give you an order. If you look over there you will see a nice horse trough, what you are going to do is get off your horse, march in full military fashion to that trough and then you are going to put your head in that trough until you think to have recovered your senses. Failure to comply with this order will mean that you serve the rest of your military career as the lowliest private in the army with life long latrine duties.

We will be in my office when you are prepared to deal with me with a little bit of respect .

[Drop Bear]

The General almost sneered. "That is where you're wrong, Sir. I do believe that if you check it out, your appointment is for this city, controlling the council, the militia and the Aedile. My position is under the control of the Governor and as such, you do not control me. So do you know what you can do with your orders? You can.."

"General!" one of the other men suddenly spoke up. "Perhaps you shouldn't?" Hughes nodded. "Thank you Sergeant. I wouldn't want to offend anyone here by being rude."

Once again he faced Palacrisis. "I am now declaring Martial Law. I am now in charge of the city and any important decisions are to be made by me. You can remain in control of running the militia, the Aedile and such, but I am the final authority. I'll leave the good sergeant here to assist you should you need him. I'm now going first to oversee the search of the caravan, then back to the Barracks where I am trying to reorganise this city." Without a further word, he motioned and his men turned and followed him towards the caravan.

The sergeant who had been left behind dismounted. "Sergeant Chappel at your service." Was all he said, waiting to see how he could assist the Thane.

[Palacrisis D Jones]

Palacrisis grinned to himself The military mind is always so predictable,he had played his cards well and the good general had acted as Palacrisis thought he would.The next few days would prove interesting

[Palacrisis D Jones]

Palacrisis read the letters from the governor Aerienne Sarista and gave a smile of satisfaction. The problem of the Tirisfal military wandering about the countryside and causing bother seemed to be solved. He now had to eat a little craw and apologise to the general. OH! But he had enjoyed telling him to stick his head in the town horse trough. Now however was the time for a little diplomacy and bridge building.

The good general was busy searching the convoy and organising the unloading of the aid Palacrisis decided that he may as well let him get on with that useful task so suitable for the military mind. He knew that he could always find him at the barracks later.

He stowed the precious letter safely away and considered the mechanics of the Thanes office. He knew that he had a staff of 8 Thanes guards. A secretary /receptionist and 3 house staff. He set off to find them in the unfamiliar surroundings of his new office. He went outside and spotted the patient soldier waiting at the entrance
Now what was his minders name, Sergeant Chappel, Ah yes that was it, well it was not this chaps fault that he and the General were at loggerheads. Serale Sergeant, I am trying to find my staff so I will be in the office for at least an hour, please come in and have a seat if you wish.

Palacrisis left the soldier to make his mind up and looked at the state of the building. It had three stories and was in fair condition considering the battering the town had taken .An imposing and dignified portico led to a solid wooden front door .Behind the front door a long corridor led to a doorway and a set of stairs there appeared to be doors off the corridor on either side. He started opening and closing doors until he found one that had the words Thanes Office on it .He opened it and found a large pleasant room with a desk hard and soft chairs and the inevitable dark portraits on the walls. Light came through large windows and flooded onto an elegant but faded carpet. The desk was under the window and had the usual quills and ink and candle sticks on it .Palacrisis sat down behind the desk and wriggled into the large comfortable chair behind it.

At that moment there was a soft knock on the door and it opened to reveal a woman.
Not young or old. She had a loose grey gold bun, sharp features and sparkly blue eyes considered the intruder in the chair.

Thane Palacrisis D Jones I presume at his nod she introduced herself I am Ms Clarisse Von Dribblepot; I acted as secretary to the last Thane.

I am very pleased to meet you Ms Von Dribblepot; I hope we may work together for the betterment of Tirisfal. Could you tell me if there is any one else in the house?

Yes Thane you have a personal staff of three, a cook Cedric Rioja, a housemaid Bettina, and the boy Dingwall who does all the odd jobs. There are also 8 personal Thane guards under the command of Captain Balthazar Tupper. We all live in and use rooms at the top of the house. This floor has been used for your business and there are private apartments on the first floor.

Thank you Ms Von Dribblepot, I see no reason to change anything on the domestic front it all sounds very efficient. I wonder if chef might manage to do me some sandwiches and a pot of tea. Then I have some work to do, before I go out in about an hour.

Yes my lord right away

Palacrisis will do when we are alone, might I call you Clarisse?

She blushed and giggled mumbled and left the room.

He started to write, the town needed some fresh blood to drive the recovery forward and he had decided to call for immigrants to come to Tirisfal from across the nation.

[Palacrisis D Jones]

The article for the Herald was finished and he hoped that it set the right tone. He wrote a quick note to Ms Von Dribblepot explaining his movements and left it on his desk. Now he had to speak with the redoubtable general. He walked out of the office wondering whether he needed the guard as an escort and dismissing that idea as plain silly. The letter in his pocket he strolled towards the barracks.

[Drop Bear]

Sergeant Chappel had remained outside and as soon as the Thane had exited his office, he mounted up and followed him to wherever he was going to.

[Palacrisis D Jones]

Palacrisis and his faithful minder arrived back at his office he found the big black horse and climbed into the saddle. He manouvered the horse so that he was next to the sergeant and then set off towards the dockside area to find the elusive general .

[Palacrisis D Jones]

He got back from his fruitless meanderings around the town and went back to his office .He ate the now curly sandwiches and decided what to do next. He wrote another note for Ms Dribblepot saying he was off to the Aediles office and to send a runner if the general turned up. he then wanderd across the square.

[Drop Bear]

It wasn't until the suns had set and the stars above had started to twinkle that the General and his men made an appearance at the Thane's offices. Without dismounting, Hughes motioned for one of his men to see if the Thane was in. Saluting then dismounting, the soldier marched over to the door and knocked on it, not saying anything or calling out.

[Palacrisis D Jones]

He got back to his office and sat down at his desk.his next administrative task was the setting up of the Tirisfal Trading Company.

He began to draft a paper

[Palacrisis D Jones]

occ makes a note too see optician

At the sound at the door he looked up and said come in if your feet are clean

[Drop Bear]

ooc: if you see the two post times, it's understandable why you missed it

ic: The soldier didn't even look down to check his feet, which were muddy of course, as he pushed open the door and entered. Saluting, he said, "General Hughes is outside awaiting your pleasure, sir."

[Palacrisis D Jones]

occ relieved that new specs not needed.

Palacrisis got up and went to the front door to be greeted by the sight of the general. Serale to you General Hughes, I am sorry to interupt your busy schedule but I have received a letter that you should see.

He pulled out the letter from Aerienna and gave it to the general.

"To General Hughes:
Serale! I don't believe that we have met. My name is Aerienne Sarista, and I am the Governess of Carmelyn Province. There are other titles attached, but those aren't important right now.

General, I'm ordering you to stand down. As of the moment you read this, martial law will end. Withdraw your troops and place yourself under the complete command of Lord Thane Palacrisis D Jones. He has my complete confidence to rule the city and end these distressing tensions. If you don't stand down, I will be forced to revoke your Generalship, disband your forces, and bring you up for court martial charges. I don't want to have to do that, since you seem like a capable officer. I'd like you and Palacrisis to work together for the prosperity of the city you both love. Please do not force me to have to take your command from you.

I'll be sending a representative to the meeting Lord Thane Palacrisis has called. This person will check up on you and ensure that Tirisfal has a smooth transition. I will be waiting for this person's report and most anxious if something should happen to them. Please let everything go smoothly and orderly, that we may both prove worthy to serve the Sacred Three.


Palacrisis waited for the reaction that would surely come

[Drop Bear]

The General read over the letter, then looked at the Thane. "If those are the orders, so be it," his tone was calm and accepting. Afterall, he had just recieved orders from a superior and he had to obey them.

Handing back the letter, he said, "But just remember this. If I think an order of yours threatens the safety or security of this city, I can and will disobey you." He motioned again and his men turned to leave. "Now if you don't mind, sir, I need to get back to my duties."

As they were about to ride off, he called over his shoulder, "And if you ever want to try and order me to stick my head in a trough again, let me know and I'll have my men deliver my challenge to yours."