Act 2, Scene 2: Behind Closed Doors

DIALOG

Setting: The royal officers were called to a Great Council by the King, who is seeking consultation about how to handle the new sect in his country, the Order of the Blinding Star.

Terry: "Esteemed Lords and Ministers, please stand for His Majesty King Hyneman the Tolerant, by the Grace of Sun and Moon King of Costa Moringa and his other realms and territories, defender of freedom, Lord of-"

A heavy door opens, and Hyneman enters, interrupting the announcement

Everyone: "Your Majesty!"

Hyneman: "Thank you for honoring the protocol, Terry, but I think everyone in here knows who I am. Please be seated."

Everybody sits down again

Hyneman: "Thank you for coming to this council on short notice, and I know we all want to go back to celebrating our national holiday, so I'll try to make it as brief as possible."

Terry: "Okay, so let me write this down real quick ... *sribbles* Third septim, year 532 of the Golden Moon's Ascent. Present are: Royal Treasurer Ingmar Gibralto. High Admiral Archibald Seaweather. Lord Chancellor Zoltan Gzmirnak, and yours truly, Royal Scribe, Terry Gadzook."

Hyneman: "Terry, I think I would like to do this off the record. How about you go down to the ballroom and create a strict protocol of all the cocktails being sold?"

Terry: "What an excellent idea, your majesty! I shall do that at once!"

Terry hastily leaves the room with a rustle of papers

Terry closes the door behind him

Terry (outside): "Yipppeeee!"

Hyneman: "Okay, now that we're on our own, we can finally skip the formalities. I have a problem, and I want to hear your honest opinions about it. I'm talking about the Order of the Blinding Star."

Everyone: "*groan*"

Hyneman: "Yes, we can no longer ignore the elephant in the room. Chancellor Gzmirnak?"

Zoltan: "I've been telling you for years, that the order is a liability. They don't teach nor preach any kind of gospel. Nobody knows where they come from or what their goals are. But unlike any other religious community, they behave more like settlers, buying land, building their own city within a city, which expands like some cancerous growth. Resentments and suspicions are growing among the population. My advice would be to get rid of them as soon as we can. Or we might soon be faced with unrest."

Hyneman: "I hear you, Chancellor. This is also my worry. Treasurer Gibralto?"

Ingmar: "We have to be careful though. We are one of the few countries you can come to without fear of having your throat slit open because you worship the wrong deity. This is why seafarers prefer Port Hogas over any other harbor in the Mid-Equatorian Sea to buy, sell, trade, stock up their supplies or just enjoy their shore leave. There is a lot of gold to be made on the high seas, and Costa Moringa is where almost everyone prefers to spend it. Freedom is the foundation of our, and to be frank, your wealth."

Hyneman: "Admiral Seaweather?"

Archibald: "Not only the freedom, but also the stability. Look at the never ending war between North and South Delandroc, whose only difference seems to be who's the true Lord and Savior - Holghar, the ghost of a three headed squirrel, and the other guy ... the one with the skull and the nails through his eyes ... whats his name again ..."

Zoltan: "Shitstack?"

Ingmar: "Sithrak!"

Archibald: "Sithrak! Yes! Everybody in their right mind has been staying clear of the Gulf of Delandroc unless they really can't avoid it."

Zoltan (sarcastic): "You mean the Gulf of Volanto."

Archibald: And don't get me started on those shenanigans. Yeah, people come here not only because of the freedom, but also the stability!

Hyneman: "So, I think you can see what my dilemma is. And what makes it even harder is that the Order of the Blinding Star is formally behaving like a model citizen. They officially lease their land, they pay their taxes, they take care of the poor and the cursed, they obey the law - I have no justifiable reason to oust them. Other than that they are creeping everybody out."

Ingmar: "Then why not let them be?"

Hyneman: "If history has taught us anything it's that wealth doesn't mean anything for a King, if your own courtiers begin to doubt you. King Halibert the fourth might have been the wealthiest monarch in our history, but see where that got him! There's not been a single king or queen since the War of aptly named Eternal Regret, that has died of natural causes. It might sound egoistical, but I would very much like to be the first to break this chain."

Zoltan: "Just because there is no evidence for anything questionable going on behind those walls, doesn't mean there isn't. Have you ever seen one of the sick and poor they take in, actually return? They could be eating them alive in there, and we wouldn't know. This calls for a thorough inspection of their Lost Souls city at the very least, and you have the power to do it. So do it."

Hyneman: "Yes, that sounds like the right thing to do. Gain knowledge. Find out what they're hiding. Maybe it's harmless, maybe it's not. I want all of you to come back with a plan after the festivities have ended and you've all recovered from your hangover."

Ingmar: "I'll do my best to find out where all that sweet tax money they're paying us is coming from."

Archibald: "I'll have a closer look at the shipments going in and out of Port Hogas and see what I can find out."

Zoltan: "I'll talk with the city guard and make a plan for an inspection, and I'll get back to you. By the way, does anybody here know who's the leader of the Order?"

Ingmar: "No idea."

Archibald: "Me neither."

Zoltan: "Peculiar, isn't it?"

Hyneman: "I think I know everything I wanted to know, and we've come to an agreement. Let's take our time, and do this carefully though. The stakes are high, and I don't want to upset anybody more than we need to. Now let's get back to the festivities. Council dismissed."

Everybody stands up and goes