Behind Silenced Doors

Shades had never been a particularly clever man, but he was clever enough to understand that he wasn’t particularly clever. What Shades possessed was the canny to recognize the qualities he lacked in others, the mental flexibility to understand them on their own terms, and just enough charm to swing them to his side. His leadership involved a lot of listening and consultation, compromise and trust. It also involved the occasional clandestine gathering in the dead of night behind silenced doors.
Around the war room table sat Mayor Freydan, Hengsha, High Lady Maya, Fairweather, Shades himself and Lady Kingsley. This particular group had met some times before, to discuss the direction of the Dominion, and the unique challenges it faced. Kingsley was a new addition. Landing the final redemptive blow upon a corrupted angel of Thyr had clearly earned her a place at this table, and no one felt any need to even question that.
“Having a plan” was the theme of the night. Since the Unrighteous March had been defeated, there had been a lot of scrambling and stumbling into temporary solutions. The Dominion had knowingly set it roots down on land that seemed almost destined to be the battlefield of the War on Orcus- the Unrighteous March had made that fate feel suddenly all too real, and way too close. Something needed to be done, and it needed to be done yesterday.
Shades informed the gathering that, finally yes, the Great Downward Engineering Company had a plan. Shades had no intention of actually divulging the specifics of the plan- the information was dangerous and there were surely plenty of parties willing to dominate or torture for it. And quite frankly the plan looked ridiculous on paper and sounded even more so when spoken. What rational creature decides that making a fucking god was a possible solution to their problems? But the plan was in place, which was something of a relief, and those around the table now had figure out what to do should the plan fail.
Once the group meeting was over, Shades met with each person individually and spoke to them privately. With Shades’ ability to speak directly inside the minds of his allies, the privacy was almost entirely guaranteed.
High Lady Maya was first, and together they discussed candidates to replace the empty chair currently serving as the Dominion’s Spymaster. No one would have suspected the chair, it was true, but the role truly needed someone more proactive. The stakes were high, intelligence and subterfuge were key.
Mayor Freydan was second, so she could actually get some sleep and be capable of actually mayoring the next day. Together the two sketched out the broad strokes of a major improvement project across the Dominion, to keep the people busy and focussed on improving their lives in whatever tangible ways were available to them.
Hengsha was next. Many ideas as to how to protect the Dominion and its people from the potential cataclysm were canvassed during the group meeting, but in the heat of debate Hengsha had the hardest time speaking up. Now was her time to sort out the good plans from the bad and outright ridiculous. Her new pet project was to start scouting out new evacuation routes.
Hanabi had been hesitant all night, and was still a little apprehensive when it was her turn. Rappan Athuk had taken its toll on all who had dared to venture its caverns, but the marks it had left on Hanabi were arguably the most visible. The undead infection she had contracted from the dungeon had been cured some time ago, but during the occasional sleepless night she would relive it worming through her bones. It was with a leaden heart she confessed that while she still felt strongly about the Great Downward and its cause, she didn’t think she could set foot inside Rappan Athuk again. Shades was quite relieved with the news, as it meant that the one candidate for Spymaster he and High Lady Maya were seriously considering was actually free to take the role.
Lady Kingsley was not a person for politics, or any kind of talking at length. She had accepted Shades’ invitation to the group meeting out of politeness rather than any semblance of interest. Talk of the Dominion’s defences and forces in a worst case scenario had been engaging, but for the most part she had been bored out of her mind. She wasn’t entirely sure why Shades had asked for her last, but she hoped it would be quick.
The sun was rising, and there were prayers to be done.