User blog:Tokenas/The Eve of the Election

Ava and her team returned after their Dwarven adventure to a tower filled with nervous energy. Valas Hune, Sub-Archon for the Pacification of the North, had mounted a daring and wildly successful raid on a  Niridan outpost, conveniently increasing the influence of the  Talon just before the election to name a new Archon of the  Eye.

Ava decided to explore the tower, and ran into a group of three friendly Eye agents chatting in the hallway: Vita Broen and Mihai Milya of the Eleventh Eye, along with Aias Gilsatra of the Third. Aias implied that the High Archon tends to vote with whoever has the most cache at any given time, which might be Archon Argith at the moment due to the success of the raid. They also discussed their theories on the assassination of Archon Fassit, and their opinions of the characters of Anabran Cane and Mairin Néill, seemingly the two main candidates for the election.

Proceeding up the tower, Ava paused outside the door of Anabran's office, where she heard voices. Taking up a "guard position" close to the door, Ava was fortuitously able to overhear some of the conversation, which involved Cane discussing with one of his senior officers an intelligence leak by an Eye agent, or someone posing as one, directly to Hune (bypassing both him and Archon Argith) that resulted in the raid. There was a brief discussion of the election, with Cane stating that Archon Prinn will certainly vote against him, but that he was unsure of the others. Dismissing the Major to deliver a message, the door opened, and Ava sprung out, under the pretext of ensuring that Cane was all right.

As it turned out, Ava's presence had been detected, and allowed, by Cane, and the two had a frank discussion about Fassit's assassination, the contours and extent of the conspiracy, and the motivation of the intelligence leak. Cane expressed his belief that the leak didn't fit in with the conspiracy as he sees it, and may have actually circuitously helped his chances at the election.

Ava expressed her belief that the whole scheme may involve an attempt to frame Cane for Fassit's murder, and outlined the case against him. Cane acknowledged the concern, but disclosed the additional information that Fassit had started to catch on to the cult's activities; he believes that the Cult has not yet become so widespread or influential that it is manipulating affairs to this degree, but is still reacting to events to protect themselves while they buy time to accomplish their goal. He did, however, express concern that he was mistaken (and that there is little he'll be able to accomplish if he is). He accepted Ava's offer to guard him on the day of the election, and provided her with a special flute imbued with a _sending_ spell to contact him.