The Silver-Tongued Fence
In the early hours of a seemingly ordinary Tisday in Ivolnos, a trio of peculiar disturbances sent consequences rippling throughout Sapience.
The first of these happened upon the streets of Esterport, where city guards apprehended a young pickpocket who, upon questioning, spoke of a mysterious thin man with curly hair who had convinced him to attempt the theft. Though the constable processing the child initially seemed reluctant to hear the child’s story, his heart eventually thawed after hearing strange details that lined up with other odd happenings in recent memory. Escaping with little more than a warning, the young lad fled back to the waiting arms of his mother, solemnly swearing to avoid getting up to no good – at least until next Falsday, anyways.
As morning wore on, the peaceful village of Attica erupted into chaos as a simple worker began a violent rampage through its streets, declaring that the same mysterious figure had awakened him to the injustice of his position. Driven to blind rage by his own discontent, the man stopped only when restrained by several brave adventurers who thought to bind him until his fury passed like a fleeting storm. As the once-berserk labourer elaborated on his conversation with this ‘encouraging individual’, Sapience’s inquisitive champions searched high and low for someone matching this enigmatic person’s description. Leaving no stone unturned, ascendents from all walks of life scoured every tavern and seedy establishment in hopes of lead, though all ultimately proved fruitless.
Then, the final disruption rang out from the Lover’s Carnival, where the infamous Easy Katy found herself forced to disperse a crowd of swooning, heartsick commoners with a comically large broom. Amidst her frustration at the chaos disrupting her business, she revealed that this same mysterious man – “a tall, skinny man in tacky clothes” – had attempted to ask her for drinks at the cheapest establishment in Esterport. As she issued copious amounts of gossip and slander alike, the buxom Imp let slip several details that narrowed the search and allowed for a few industrious individuals to finally discover a clue at ‘the Bazaar’, an out of the way pub in Esterport.
When finally confronted within the dive bar’s smoky interior, the man known as Taron the Fence attempted to flee but swiftly found himself surrounded by an alert gathering of curious, concerned or otherwise frustrated adventurers. Under careful questioning, Taron’s extraordinary gift for manipulation became apparent. Little by little, he managed to deflect much of the blame for his antics and stir the crowd into argument and doubt. Despite this, several individuals called his bluff and demanded he cease attempting to shirk responsibility for the day’s chaos. Though he continued claiming that “people’s choices’re their own,” the fence eventually saw an opportunity to save his own hide and make some coin on the side; in short order, he acquiesced to teaching his talents of persuasive speech and cunning social manipulation.
Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 12th of Lexadian, in the year 9 AC.
