MZA The Cove Conspiracy, Part I
The Cove Conspiracy, Part I
After the fall of Cove, and the attempt by the Tokuno native Bunshichi to represent the village on the High Council, a citizen of Newcastle by the name of James Lawford approached me. Mr. Lawford wished an audience with Nosfentor to discuss the idea of him representing the people of Cove on the Council. As I had already planned to interview the Shadowlord about the city, this seemed like a grand opportunity to combine our goals. Nosfentor finally agreed to meet with us the day before Castle British fell.
Mr. Lawford and I met outside the defensive fortifications and waited to be let inside. Nosfentor herself brought us into the city and gave us an expeditious tour. The people of Cove listlessly milled around the village with a blank expressions on their faces, as if their thoughts were elsewhere. We attempted to speak with several citizens, however, they only mumbled in response and stared at the ground.
As we neared the fortified bank, we were joined by Soke Bishimi as we headed for the crop fields to the north. The Soke bragged that Tokuno was furnishing superior seed stock for the fields, so the villagers would not starve. However, the fields appeared to be producing only a meager supply of squash and root vegetables, a fact that was quickly blamed on “lazy farm hands.”
The conversation then quickly turned to how the High Council had always neglected the village's population and defenses. Apparently, after the siege, the Crimson Order marched on the orc fort to the south and lay waste to its population. This orcish genocide was designed to show the people they would be ‘protected’. While the orcs had occasionally attempted to raid Cove, this kind of wholesale slaughter would be unthinkable by the Council’s standards.
As I reflected on the deaths of innocent orcish children, I realized that I had yet to see any human children within Cove's walls. When asked about the children's whereabouts, Nosfentor and Bishimi grinned at one another. "They are being educated in Tokuno." was Nosfentor's response. The children had been taken from their homes, shipped to a foreign land, and were being reeducated to follow Tokunese values. It is little wonder the adults in Cove seem to be in a daze; their families have been separated, and their futures put in jeopardy.
While I spoke with the Shadowlord on the providence of the children, Bishimi led Mr. Lawford away to ‘show him more of the fields.’ Minutes later we were quickly being ushered out of the gated walls. I opened a gate to Britain to observe the battle preparations, and we stepped through. The third ripple in the gate's energy field told me we had been followed. Mr. Lawford quickly excused himself and headed into the city; my keen sense of tracking told me he was not alone...
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