Celebeth frowns slightly and says, "Hmm... worth backtracking quietly, find out who he's working for. One doesn't simply rabble-rouse without having some kind of income. Can't waste his time standing around in the town square haranguing people unless he already has some income stream paying for his room and board."
"I suppose a spell of Scrying could prove useful once I can master it, though it is beyond me for now.
I can try to tail someone, and I can see or hear what's inside a building close by, though I'm not skilled at other forms of information gathering."
"Let's team up," says Celebeth. "I can magically disguise myself, listen in on his speech, then try to follow him back to wherever he's staying. If he's meeting with anyone, we should try to find out."
She thinks for a moment, then says, "I feel a little uncomfortable with unilaterally searching through someone's private residence and belongings, but I'm really suspicious of this guy."
After Azen's nap she feels a lot better. When she hears about Celebeth going after the troublemaker, she asks if the group needs some backup.
You want me to come with, or to stay here and entertain to keep things calm?
"This case warrants an exception." Rhiannon says in response to Celebeth's concerns. "Undermining the stability of the community forfeits the protections that come with being a part of it."
"Well he certainly hasn't put down any roots here and has been spending his evenings - and a fair amount of coin - at the Grey Griffin." Kesten says.
"With the amount of coin he's been spreading around, it makes it difficult to run him off without causing too much of a ruckus with the townsfolk."
Celebeth rubs her chin and says, "I dunno... I feel like opening the door to such a precedent is a bit spooky. Anyone can have their belongings searched because we decide they are 'undermining the stability of the community'? I feel like we need to build a case before we start unilaterally intruding upon people's lives like that. Think how it will look to other people out here, many of whom believe wholeheartedly in the River Freedoms. 'Say what you will, I live free' is pretty popular out here, and we might cause more harm by dealing roughly with this guy."
"I feel like we gotta figure out what his game is. Is he doing this because he's really mad about some legitimate grievance? Or is someone just paying him to be a problem?"
Turning to Wulfric, she says, "Since you just arrived, maybe you can get a conversation with him, without arousing too much suspicion? He'll doubtless know that you've been meeting with us, but maybe he is willing to answer some questions or try to get you to see his point of view."
"If we can nail down some stronger suspicion or evidence, I'd feel better about ransacking his stuff. Meanwhile, let's keep an eye on him—magically, when possible—and see with whom he talks and where he gets all of this money. It's not like we don't have a bunch of cash that we got from the wilds, too, but if someone is paying him to cause chaos, that's actionable. Agent of a hostile foreign power."
"Aye, he does have the right to say whatever he wants, and criticizing rulers isn't anything new, but another of the River Freedoms is that Courts are for Kings, and it is expected to follow the laws of the land that you're in." Rhiannon replies.
"You make a good case for not acting overtly...yet. But the moment he incites one hand to raise in an action that harms one of our citizens or the interest of the community, well then he moves from being a person of interest to being a problem. An actionable problem."
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Tove finally speaks again, her tone measured but firm. "You’re not wrong, Kesten. Your frustration is justified, and if he keeps stirring up trouble he’ll deserve whatever rope it takes to shut him up for good." She taps her fingers on the table, her tone sharp. "But we’ve got to be smart about this. Celebeth’s right, if we come down too hard without evidence, we risk turning him into a martyr and ourselves into the villains of his story."
"That said, we can’t ignore this troublemaker sowing division, especially now when our unity is more important than ever. I don’t want him near tomorrow’s meeting unless we can control the narrative. If he shows up, we need to have something we can counter him with. We all remember how quickly his vile tongue twisted things last time."
She looks toward Celebeth, Azen, and Wulfric. "Celebeth, if you can uncover who’s funding him, or what he’s really after, that will go a long way in earning the people’s trust while keeping us on the moral high ground."
"Azen, maybe you could keep an ear to the ground in the Grey Griffin? Talk to the staff and patrons. See if you can find out what it is he’s been spreading, who he’s been meeting with or how much coin he’s actually splashing around."
"Wulfric, if you think you can talk to him directly without riling him up, go ahead. Try and get a feel for what he’s after, be it money, a score settled, or something more ideological."
Her gaze shifts to Kesten and Rhiannon. "Kesten, I need you to hold back for now, but I want you ready to act quickly if this escalates. Rhiannon, I trust you to keep watch and make sure nothing gets out of hand. Stay vigilant, but don’t give him any excuses. If he becomes violent, we’ll deal with it decisively, but we can’t afford to let him paint us as the aggressors."
Tove leans back, her arms crossed, her eyes still burning with barely-contained irritation. Her voice softens slightly as she feels their strategy coming together. "If there’s anything any of you can find out that we can use, I want to know about it before we’re standing in front of the town tomorrow evening. I want this meeting to remind people why they chose to settle here, why this settlement is worth defending. If he tries anything this time, we’ll make sure the people see him for what he is; a coward and a liar."
"I don't really see a problem with using magic to keep an eye on potential troublemakers. If they're not guilty, then they have nothing to hide, right? There are some new-fangled ideas coming out of Andoran about 'do process' but as far as I'm concerned good people don't need to keep secrets from honorable leaders."
"Still, I will adhere to whatever restrictions you wish."
"I don't agree with all of the River Freedoms. 'You Have What You Hold' seems to defend banditry as legitimate, and I've heard Abadarans say that 'Walk Any Road, Float Any River' makes bridges and highways impossible to finance. The code, I think, keeps the River Kingdoms weak and disorganized. But given our situation we would have to pick and choose our battles."
"I don't think I can talk to this rabble-rouser directly without arousing suspicion. Sorry. I am not skilled at deception or, really, talking to people. If he questions me directly and asks if you all sent me? He'll know."
"But he's not here now, is he? Kendren's men ran him off? I will go to the Grey Griffin and ask around. Simply tell the truth. I am new in town, looking to support Tove's efforts, but I want to know if there are any concerns about her leadership or that of her council.
And that is true. If any of the locals do have concerns, I know you aren't going to punish them for speaking their mind. I can honestly say that I'll bring their concerns to you. Giving people the opportunity to speak their mind also gives them the chance to relay gossip. You know. 'Well, I think they're doing fine, but this fellow who was here last week said that they're not doing enough to solve this problem or that one.' At least, that's my hope of how it will go."
Assuming that is agreeable, Wulfric goes to the Grey Griffin to ask around, exactly as he said he would.
Wulfric returns in a couple of hours, disappointed. "No luck."
Azen goes into the Grey Griffin and asks the proprietor if she can perform there.
Presuming the answer will be yes, she is well prepared, and starts up a jovial set, talking to people in between sets, enjoying herself, and of course keeping a subtle eye on the troublemaker.
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Rhiannon spends the morning patrolling, riding through the settlement, ensuring a visible presence, and taking the time to interact with any who might need her attention.
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The councilors go about their individual tasks, attempting to sus out the reasons for the rabble rouser's rousings.
Tove goes through the settelment, talking with the townsfolk and seeing to their concerns. For the most part, it seems that is nothing more than the normal suspicions those not in power have of those in power. Unfortunately, it seems that the rouser is somewhat silver-tongued and has been slowly poisoning the morale of the town. Now that the councilors have returned from their latest expedition, those feelings have been tamped down - both from their presence and the reports that they had dealt with troll threat in a significant manner.
Neither Wulfric nor Rhiannon are able to pin down any meaningful information about the man beyond that he doesn't always stay in town, but when he does, it is at the Grey Griffin.
With that information in hand, Azen settles in for a set at the Grey Griffin in hopes of hearing more and finding the man. She's two and half hours into a performance and about to call it quits when a rotund, bearded man, dressed in dark blue with gold trim strolls in, a smirk upon his face. Glancing around the room and noticing at least one councilor present. The smirk leaves the man's face as he turns to leave.
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Celebeth, as spymistress, has been lurking about trying to gather information, which looks suspiciously similar to enjoying a drink while her sister plays music. Once the badmouther in blue and gold (or is it black and white?) strolls in, she sees her chance. She gives him a few seconds to get out the door before she sneaks out, makes herself invisible, and follows him.
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Seeing the man leaving and her sister getting up to follow, Azen wraps up the performance, bows, and takes her leave, telling everyone that she will likely be back tomorrow. She takes time for anyone who wants to talk, and makes everyone feel noticed, making sure that the evening comes off as pleasant and authentic rather than a fishing expedition, both because she honestly wants to be authentic within the community, but also because she wants to cover for, and distract anyone who noticed, her sister.
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Wulfric does not leave immediately. He remains in the inn for a few more minutes, finishing his ale.
He then makes his way outside, hoping that no great drama has transpired in the meantime.
Azen stays behind to cover for her sister's pursuit of the man in blue and gold, keeping those present in the Grey Griffin in relatively good spirits. All present seem genuinely happy that the councilors have returned home, at least for the time being.
Meanwhile, the blue clad man hastily makes his way back into the streets, heading deeper into the residential area with an invisible Celebeth tailing him.
Some moments later, having finished his drink, Wulfric steps out of the Griffin and in the night air, seeing or hearing neither any sign of the rotund man nor Elkmark's Spymaster.
Staying a safe bit back, Celebeth follows the man to one of the older homes in town where he is welcomed by the residents of the home.
Celebeth crouches to one side, staying quiet but unable to get a read on the situation.
The rotund man goes into the home and the door closes. Celebeth is unable to discern anything else from her current location.
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Celebeth circles the house invisibly and tries to find a place from which she can eavesdrop.
Celebeth settles into a location to try and eavesdrop on any conversation within the house.
Shoulda brought Wulfric so he could use scrying magic, Celebeth thinks to herself.
There really isn't much of substance said, as far as Celebeth can hear, but the general tone seems cordial even if the rotund man is certainly leading the conversation an politely giving direction to the family within.
Celebeth makes a mental note to check in on this family and find out what their neighbors know about them, then returns to the council to report what she's learned.
"Our troublemaker seems to have some connection to a local family. At least, he went into a home, interacted with the people there. Not sure what the relationship is, yet. Going to try to feel out the neighbors for more information."
Celebeth proves incapable of doing anything right and effectively wastes the day.
Let's wait for him to leave the house again and then go talk to the family he's staying with. I'm worried that he is influencing or controlling them. Wasn't he the bard, when we first came to town, that was complaining about the leadership?
"Yep. I don't want to set a precedent of just arresting or murdering anyone for speaking their mind, but I also don't trust that he's not working for someone else. So far no evidence though."
"I talked to a few neighbors but found out nothing."
"I can make a point of checking in with them before the meeting, I’ll see if I can get a feel for what kind of dissidence he’s been sewing here, or at least what his connection with the family he’s visited is."
Tove will make her way to the house Celebeth pointed out at some point during the day once the Spymaster confirms with her that the man is gone. Anyone else is welcome to join her.
Given the potential (albeit low) for some kind of unpleasantness to arise should the dissident be some sort of spellcaster that ensorcelled the residents,Rhiannon makes a point of accompanying Tove, as Royal Enforcer and unofficial Bodyguard of the Staglord, keeping an eye out for any sign of trouble, or anything unusual.