Different Flavours of Genius

 It was late morning. Garth was standing outside the guardhouse, a full hour before the debriefing was due to begin. He wanted to be there early to settle the butterflies and collect his thoughts before the others arrived. The night had been a success, but not without cost, and he knew Tabitha was going to hold him accountable. 4 deaths, many walking wounded, no prisoners and a small amount of collateral damage. It could have gone better, but he wasn't sure if it counted as a set back. With a sigh, he pushed the door open and entered

Garth's stomach dropped. Tabitha was standing there opposite the door and was staring at him in that way she does. She was without her armour for once, instead dressed in simple blue and black shirt and pants. The bodies of Colter, Janquett and Grimes laid on the floor, mostly covered with sheets. A bucket holding the remains of Nyuu sat amongst them. After a moment he noticed the Warden sitting in the corner sleeping

"Mayor" Garth offered after overcoming a brief desire to run

Tabitha nodded but gave no other response. After a few heartbeats, Garth decided that it was perhaps a good idea to not look intimidated, and found somewhere to sit that wasn't cluttering up the room.

The hour dragged by. Garth spent most if it trying not to fidget

Slowly the remainder of the shields arrived. The mood was somber, no one was feeling like being cheerful in front of the recently dead

"Garth. Report"

"Yes. Uhh"

Garth gathered his thoughts and recounted the events of the prior night

Tabitha politely listened before asking "And how do you rate the mission?"

“Adequate. We achieved all of our goals. Resistance was stronger than expected, but we didn't lose control of the situation. Losses were high. The team showed that we can work together and that the Greyton Shields are to be taken seriously”

The troops let out a small cheer at that

“Agreed. And your personal performance?”

"Okay, I suppose. The plan worked. Everyone knew their jobs. Once the fight started I didn't really feel in control any more though, it felt more like a brawl than a coordinated action. If I had rounded up the traders or something before we searched the place, we might have got away with fewer losses. I wasn't able... to..."

He falters as the door slowly opens, and a small halfling woman pokes her head inside

“Helloooo? Is this the Greyton Shields guardhouse?"

“I'm sorry ma'am" Tabitha said, standing "this area isn't open to the public. If you have a crime to report please lodge it with the desk clerk next door and it will be followed up"

Garth cautiously raised a hand "uh, no Mayor, I think she was a civilian who got tangled up in our chase last night"

The halfling woman clapped her hands together excitedly "Quite impressive deary, you are quite right. Even amongst all that chaos you still were looking out for the little people. " She giggled at her own humour "Betty Hearthstone! And you must be Miss Wolfsbane"

"Yes, I am. If you were involved in the incident last night feel free to lodge a compensation claim. Again, with the desk clerk next door" Tabitha had set up bureaucracy and by damn people were going to use it

"Nonono, I'm not here for anything like that." Betty spied the bodies on the floor "Oh by Mistra's light, you lost four people last night? How sad, how sad. So young and vibrant, determined to help their community even if it cost them their lives."

Betty shuffled into the room and started to be a noisy busy body

"Here, let me help you grieve. What was this lad's name? Colter? Good good. Come, help me move him. You and you, move those tables. Yes dear, those chairs aren't going to move by themselves"

The Greyton Shields were clearly unsure about this stranger who was messing with the bodies of their fallen comrades, but they were used to orders and Tabitha wasn't saying no. Colter was placed in the centre of the floor with space cleared around him

"There, good. Come on everyone, stand around him in a circle. You too Mayor." Betty said, but Tabitha didn't budge

Betty shrugged, and sat on the floor, holding one of Colter’s hands

"Okay everyone, let's all spend a moment remembering him and let's talk about how we valued him as a person aaaand how he was an important part of his community. I'll start!"

Betty sat quietly for a few moments before speaking again

“I valued Colter because he spent his life protecting those weaker than himself”

A handful of moments before anyone else spoke

Vallafaren spoke up "I didn't know him that well really. Buuuut I valued him because he was a Greyton shield"

The floodgates opened

"I valued Colter because he was cheerful and fun!"

"I valued Colter's arse. It was fiiiiine"

"I valued his willingness to follow my bad leadership" Garth said slowly

"This isn't about you sweety, this is about him." Betty said gently "Want to try again?"

Garth took a deep breath, before nodding "I valued Colter because he looked out for his buddies. It's why I made him deputy"

"Good" breathed Betty

"I valued him be-"

With a ragged gasp for air, Colter sat up

-------------------------------------

The guard house was eerily quiet now that the celebrations had moved elsewhere. All that remained were the two-and-a-bit corpses, Tabitha and Betty. Tabitha was looking intently at Betty. Betty was serenely meeting her gaze, despite looking haggard and a little worse for wear

"What exactly are you?” Tabitha asked. “That … wasn't even a spell, was it? I'm a somewhat able caster and yet I don't even have that sort of power. No material component either? You just... peeled back the layers of the universe, broke natures law and plucked a soul back from the netherworlds on a whim?"

"No dear, you're right. that wasn't a spell. Mitra grants me favours when I ask, but none that large. I'm.... honestly, I don't know how you'd pigeon-hole me these days. At my prime, I was an Oracle like you. But times change"

"You *used* to be an Oracle?" Tabitha raised an eyebrow incredulously. "Having an innate connection to the realms of divine magic isn't something a person simply changes at a moments notice"

"Yes, true." Betty sighed, and lowered herself into a chair. She looked every day her age, plus some. Her skin had greyed and she seemed quite drained. "In my prime, I was a prodigy. A genius. In only a few months I went from being a simple healer with a few magic tricks to being one of the most powerful divine casters on this plane. I was known as Mitras Torch. Beloved by the people and feared by those with a wicked heart." Betty's eyes were unfocused, lost in memory

"Mitra didn't actually grant you power though, did she?"

“No dear, no she did not. I worshipped her, but I didn't serve her. I was an oracle of life. I drew my power directly from the source of all life. My power... I'm sure you understand this. It was a thread of energy which I pulled and weaved into magic.”

“I can relate to the metaphor, yes”. Tabitha looked intrigued despite herself

“Well, I discovered very quickly that I was talented at pulling on that thread. I would draw on it constantly. Instead of weaving my magic gently, I would pull great arm lengths of thread at a time and I threw out entire tapestries of magic. My entire body would thrum with power. I would literally glow with the intensity of it. None could stand before me, and everybody who saw me drunk on power understood my greatness”

“Greed” Tabitha stated simply.

“Yes sweetie. You see to the heart of the matter. I was vain. I loved what I did. I loved what I was. I loved what I could do. And so I abused it. So there we were, in the middle of a battle for our lives, and that thread of power snapped. Dried up. Hid itself. Burned out. However you may choose describe it. It was there one moment and gone the next. My companions died. I ran away and hid. My entire life as an adventurer lasted no more than three months, and the only person who could defeat me in the end was myself.”

“That's interesting, but you still haven't answered my question.” Tabitha reminded her

“A cleric of Mitra would be a close, if you're being insistent. She grants me a small measure of power. But I still seem to retain an echo of my former power as well. How do I put this...?

Betty leans back and thinks for a while

“I am no longer able to actively draw power like I used to, but I still have a deep understand of how that power worked. I can no longer produce it, but I understand how to create the right sort of negative pressure in order to attract it. Follow?”

Tabitha took a moment before answering. “I think so. You can't make the water flow directly, but you can depress the earth so it gathers”

“Yes! Exactly! The little ritual you saw here was an example of that. I can't pull the soul back to the body directly, but the strong emotions of a group of people can be used to create the right sort of depression, as you put it. I seed that with a portion of my own life force and the soul uses that to find its way back.”

"That explains why you look like you've recently come back from the grave yourself. Still, I understand what you're saying, although it's like I am deaf and you are describing music. I wouldn't know where to begin"

Betty sighed. “I suppose so, deary. Without the experience to provide context it must be hard to grasp. I just... I don't know. Oracles are so rare these days and so many of them are loners, unable to fit into society. Yet here you are, a linchpin in the middle of a throng of people. It warms my heart”

Tabitha snorted. “I am here filling a role to further my own goals, nothing more. The people here work for me. The bonds are ones made of gold and pretty words. There is nothing to get sentimental over”

“Yes, well” Betty shifted in her seat uncomfortably. She was clearly expecting a different response

“Look, I appreciate the words of wisdom, but I have things that need doing. Is there anything else I can help you with, ma'am?”

“No, that was all. I'll be on my way then” Betty winced as she stood to leave

-------------------------------------

Evening was well upon them. The day shift had just ended and the night shift was soon to begin. Tabitha was standing on a makeshift stage in front of the gatehouse with a few hundred people gathered in front of her. She was dressed in her usual full plate, and was holding a longspear with a banner depicting a scythe on a shield attached. The Greyton Shields were gathered to one side

“Citizens and honoured guests of Greyton! Today we celebrate the recent success of the Greyton Shields. This guard force represents and defends you against all sorts of criminal elements. Only yesterday they busted a bodypart smuggling ring running out of a building in the warehouse district. All of these vile transgressors were slain. Greyton Shields, attend me!”

The squad made their way up to the stage, Garth in the lead

“In honour of their recent achievements, I would like to officially promote Probationary Captain Garth, to Captain Garth. Congratulations on forging this guard into the cohesive unit it is today, and your recent success in protecting us all from crime”

Garth bows slightly in acknowledgement

“I would also like to honour you with a symbol of your new office. I present 'Praestes'. May it serve us all well” She passed Garth the longspear. He held it aloft briefly, to a small amount of applause

“Thank you everybody for your support, and I uhh, look forward to working with you all”. Public speaking clearly isn't Garths strong point.

Tabitha waits a moment to make sure he's done, before clapping loudly. “Okay everyone, back to work!”