Western shore of Upsala by the Fyris River
Image courtesy of Vaesen RPG, Fria Ligan publishing
Located on the eastern half of Upsala at 57 Wellspring Street(just next door to the infamous brothel) the tavern known as the
Burgher and Baker was the premier hangout for a menagerie of both men and women of ill-repute. Vagabonds, streetwalkers, corrupt officers, thieves, thugs and laborers all frequented the establishment that offered aquavit, ale, beer and vodka for low prices and even lower quality. While the O'Connor couple that ran the Whirlwind Gang were the owners of the establishment, it was in reality managed by the notorious blabbermouth known as Willy the Snitch.
Willy was one of the younger officers of the
Eire Galloglaigh who had risen in rank and stature not through any skill-at-arms or tactical brilliance but as a staff officer who bartered information and rumors to undermine his rivals and and secure a sizeable pension once the company dissolved and settled in Upsala. Despite being known for being a notorious coward, and willing to flip information with little incitement, he had managed to keep his covetous position due to sheer familiarity. Everyone knew he was unreliable and lied as easy as he would breathe as that provided a certain kind of stability, even for the otherwise notoriously fickle Angelface.
Alexander Giles had visited the establishment several times per week since he first moved to Upsala with his father and surrogate sister. Despite being an heir of a noble family - if a very low-ranked one - in the British Empire he was not considered a noble(with all the special privileges that usually entailed) in Sweden as the Giles' coat of arms was not registered in the Swedish
'House of Nobility,' the royal registry of all noble families recognized within the borders of the Kingdom. Nonetheless, due to the Empire's prestige(and the small size of the city) he, and his father, were still treated with some respect but that reprieve was fickle at best; if Castle Gyllencreutz and the Society failed to manifest any wealth, safety or prestige they'd have to be prepared to get laughed out of town. At
best.Alex didn't care about his own reputation - he never had. While he did enjoy the status that his father's name granted him he had never been one for the politics and games the noble houses played out for wealth and prestige. He had always been a big guy, and good with his hands, and never had the talent or interest to follow his father's footsteps into scholarly education. It's why he were in charge of the reconstruction and reinforcement of Gyllencreutz but it was also why he'd never be the son that Rupert had wanted him to be.
He
knew that Rupert loved him - that had never been in doubt - but he could never avoid the shadow of his father's lingering disappointment, the flecks of pain he could glance in the eyes of the elder Giles when he would momentarily drop his usually guarded exterior.
And it hurt. It really fucking hurt. And instead of wallowing in that hurt, he put it in a bottle and left the bottle on a shelf in his mind. The problem was that since those shelves were already full - so instead he took down the bottles containing alcoholic spirits to dull the pain and make space for those containing his bottled-up resentments.
Also, he
really fucking loved to drink.
Both Kendra and Giles knew he was a 'social drinker' but were not aware just how much he dove into the 'hobby' and with what fervor he did it in. He had always been talented in hiding it though - and it had
never affected his work. He took great pride in the diligence of his handiwork, what he built would ripple through generations if he did it well. He didn't need books to make his mark on history - he was going to (re)build the castle that held the library that held his father's books.
Alex also used his drinking as an icebreaker and had made his natural charm(and a fortunate talent for information gathering) into an artform as he was very able to control his drunken tongue while his drinking buddies rarely possessed that same ability, an advantage he took great advantage of.
So there he was, drinking at the bar alone that early evening. After another eventful day where they were not only visited by the police but still almost managed to finish restoring the infirmary before they had enjoyed a dinner - where both his father and his new friend Willow were absent - and then came back to the
Burgher and Baker. He wasn't there with a purpose this time, there were no suspicion that the missing Maclay woman was attacked by Vaesen and there were currently no rumors or research to dig into in the service of his father. Of the Society.
He only got halfway through his first mug of dark Irish ale before a young woman took the seat next to him.
"Willy! Gimme one like he got. And refill his once it's empty, got it?"
The weaselly barkeep hurried to fulfill the order as Alex turned towards the woman.
He had seen her before - many times - while visiting the tavern and it wasn't just because of her striking figure, shoulder-length brown hair or hazel eyes that he had ensured that he wouldn't miss when she was in the vicinity. No, the main reason he memorized Faith Lehane's appearance was because she was well-known -
infamous even - in the poorer quarters in the city. The daughter and only child of a veteran soldier within the Eire, Faith was the only surviving member of the Lehane family in the Swedish kingdom. She had also been the main enforcer of the Whirlwind Gang for the last five years - usurping the role at the mind-boggling age of
sixteen. Despite her unremarkable size she had a fearsome reputation as an expert blademaster and threw her daggers - a large number of blades that she somehow hid all over her body under her otherwise revealing clothes - with an accuracy that had spawned rumors of a past as a performance artist.
It was said that Faith feared no man or monster but the O'Connors. Alex had seen her fighting a week earlier - just after going out celebrating when they had fully inducted Rosenberg into the Society - when she had engaged three men who tried to welsh on their fees at the next-door brothel. Two of the men limped away with bruises and missing teeth while the third was found by the constabulary the next day floating face-down in the Fyris River.
Despite numerous fractures, cuts and bruises the matter was swiftly declared as a suicide and no extensive investigation had taken part. Chief Finch fired the coroner that same evening but Judge De Hoffryn refused to reopen the case, as was his custom.
"No thanks, miss Lehane. I can still pay for my own drinking habit."
She laughed, loud enough to attract notice from the nearby tables. "Sure you can but it's not like I'm paying anyway. And it's not an offer,
get it? You're my drinking buddy for the next little while and you're going to answer me a couple 'o questions in gratitude for my generosity, okay?"
Alex stiffened his back for a moment before surrendering the issue. If he tried to fight the matter he'd probably end up as a yet another organic buoy in the Fyris before sundown. As such he elected to sweep the rest of his mug before Willy filled it up again. If he was gonna get extorted he might as well get something out of it, right?
"Alright miss, you got until I'm done with this ale and them I'm out of here. Deal?"
She grinned. "Dealio, Alexio. First question is easy; how come you're never visiting our fine whores despite being such a fan of this dank hole?"
He almost choked on his ale and needed half a minute to stop his coughing. "That's
easy to you, miss?"
"Yeah. I mean, you're not one of those puritans that you brits dumped in the colonies back then and I know for sure you're a fan of the fucking so why the shrinking violet act?"
He stared at her incomprehensibly for a few moments before regaining his composure. "Okay.
Wow. Several reasons. First, I don't like to pay for play. Second, I'd prefer not to die of illnesses before I turn thirty. Third, there's no
shrinking involved here in any way, got it? Finally, I've seen some of your women at that place and-"
Faith was on her feet, as swift as a viper, and pressed a large blade to his femoral artery. "You listen to me you limey fuck and you listen good. Those girls are not
my women and if you ever imply anything of the sorts again I'll make you a prime candidate for membership at the nearest monastery. Got it?"
He nodded nervously but - to his credit - he didn't falter. She sheathed the blade again and reclaimed her place at the nearby stool in one swift motion.
"Good. Second question; is there a logical reason your old man has been making himself a regular at the looney bin or is he just booking a room for whenever your lot break from the same crap that got the last people who owned that old ruin?"
Yet again Alex was caught off-guard but he tried to hide the obvious surprise. He had no idea Rupert had been visiting the asylum at all, or even if the information she just revealed was true in the first place. For all he knew she could just be testing him to assure the truth of his answers.
"No idea, miss. It's the first thing I hear about it but - considering his expertise in the field of delusions and hallucinations related to mythology - it's not very surprising that he'd interview staff or patients with those very symptoms."
She narrowed her eyes for a couple of seconds, as if she were trying to see any trace of lies in his facial features. She returned to her ale with a shrug, seemingly satisfied with his answer.
"Strange guy. No wonder you skipped the books and started pounding walls, wood, whiskey and women instead. Does good for that wicked body of yours, too."
She grinned as he glanced at her. Anyone else would've gotten their head smashed into the counter for the insult against his father but that road only lead to his own swift and brutal death when Faith were the offending party.
"Thanks,
I guess." He glanced into his mug. "I'm almost done here so you got one more question before I'm heading out. Make it a good one."
"Fair enough, Alexander the Giles of Prudingtown. Now I get why you and your father brought that Kendra Young chick with you, I mean she's a pair of legs that could even give me a run for my money, but what's with bringing that Rosenberg freak into the castle? That Jewish girl has made enemies in just about every group, church and branch of government you can think of - plus some you probably haven't - and I just can't see what bringing a celebrity of such wicked reputation gives you in the long run. Or wait, is she just a gift from your father so you won't visit our girls?"
Alexander's eyes darkened and he locked his jaw as he turned to her with steel-eyed determination. "Willow is extremely smart and capable and was recruited for those specific talents. She's a master with both the chemical and mechanical and that's on top of being the fastest reader I've
ever seen. Now, I've tolerated a lot of crap in just a short minutes with you but if you plan to besmirch her name in that manner again you'll do well to do it when I'm elsewhere,
got it?"He stood up, finished his drink, and made to move towards the exit.
"Because if you don't 'get it' I'm quite certain I'm able to snap your neck before any of the three goons - I'm not counting that craven behind the bar - you currently got watching me could intervene. You need a blade to slit my throat; I only need these dumb hands that pound those dumb walls. Don't forget that, miss Lehane."
He took couple of steps before she caught up with him.
"I can respect that, Xanman. However, call me anything but Faith again and there won't even be anything for dear old poppy Giles to bury."
He nodded as he marched out of the tavern and - once he was fairly certain he was out of sight of anyone lingering at the entrance - he hurried back to the castle in a jog. The Whirlwind Gang had obviously taken notice of the Society and were
not happy with not having enough information and control over the organization.
The others needed to be warned.
"Hey Tara, it's me. Willow. Willow Rosenberg. Could you please open the doors for me?"
The loud whisper from the other side of the thick door shook Tara from her reverie and she hurried to help Willow gain entrance to
'her' quarters. As soon as she opened the smaller woman tumbled into the room - her arms full with an assortment of books, journals and notebooks. Before Willow were able to regain her balance she had become a close acquaintance with the cold floor, surrounded by the bound papers that she had brought from the library.
Tara did her best to muzzle her laughter as she silently shut the door again, still taking care to avoid notice of the other inhabitants of the castle. She had lit the fire - so the room wasn't as cold as it had been when Willow left to collect the books in the library - and that small but significant alteration was enough to considerably raise the quality of living in the room.
"You know, it's not considered very polite to mock someone who was just gravelly injured in the line of duty. Okay, it's the duty of the librarian and not in combat but still a duty of sorts!"
The grin Willow displayed as Tara helped her back to her feet assured the other woman that she took no offense at the continued(if muffled) laughter. Besides, Willow's flush when she realized that Tara were helping her brush off dust from her backside was a far graver matter for the young librarian.
"Now with my dignity gone the way of the Swedish Empire I figure it's time for me to go all Gilesy - that's the old man who's brought us all together and who did this for me when I joined up - and tell you what I know about the East Aros Society."
Willow smiled at the way Tara raised her hand to ask a question.
"East Aros?""Oh yes. East Aros is the old name for Upsala. What we today call Old Upsala was Upsala until they wanted to build the cathedral. The country was Catholic at the time so they petitioned the Pope to be allowed to call it Upsala Cathedral and the Papacy agreed - but only as long as East Aros changed its name to Upsala in the process. Fun fact, West Aros is the old name for a city about a day's ride with a coach from here, Westerås, so if they hadn't changed the name we'd probably be living in Österås now."
Willow had started pacing as she elaborated but then realized she had gotten off-subject. She shook her head as if to clear it from the distraction before turning to Tara with a grin.
"But
wow that was a distracting tangent and we haven't even begun yet. Now, to the actual Society. According to our books - and Giles' helpy additions - the Society was first formed in Denmark when two people with the Sight met. An accused - and convicted - witch called Tine Rasmussen and a widowed nobleman with the name Mats Rosenberg - no relation to my family - formed the
'Order of Artemis.' They recruited others, including an Italian nun named Ana Rastelli, and the Order grew for the next two hundred years. In Upsala they recruited the renowned Carl Linnaeus who soon became the local leader but then there was drama and a mess and he left and the records burned down."
She continued pacing again while Tara gathered the books that Willow had dropped to the floor when she had first crashed at re-entry.
"After that, things started to go downhill. The Order was renamed to the Society and many branches started to dissolve. Members died all over Scandinavia and soon they reorganized and made this place, Castle Gyllencreutz, into the headquarter for the entire Society. By the end of the 18th century something happened called the
'Oulu Massacre' and a couple of decades later the last members all either died or fled. According to Giles, he is the sole survivor of the old Society which is why he has access to the books, castle and resources to allow us to rebuild the Society again!"
She stopped and looked out the window with a contended smile.
"So now there's four of us. It's 'old man' Giles who's our boss except not really, his son Alexander who's both friendly and very strong. Then there's Kendra Young; a rather rude but very dangerous fighter from the Caribbean who's been a friend of the Giles family for a decade. They came here a month ago and recruited me about a week ago to be their librarian
and armorer."
"But why are
you part of," Tara waves her hands to somehow gesticulate
'this cult-like organization that fight against the supernatural world that few even realize exist' to the other woman. "You're not a member of the Giles' family and from the sound of it you didn't know them until very recently, right?"
"That's true! But they allow me to be, well,
me. Here I'm not just the only daughter of the Rosenberg family or a weirdo who's expected to subjugate myself to a husband and pop out a bunch of smelly kids before I die because these hips are
really not made to give birth. The Society not only allow but
encourage me to study and better myself but I can also help people while doing so! Sure, it's not safe and I'll probably die in some cold and dark forest before I'm forty - but at least I've
lived instead of just being locked away in some manor to order some poor and most likely overworked servants around."
Tara sat quiet for a while as she contemplated over what she had been told and the implications she could formulate in her mind.
"So just who is allowed to join the Society," she eventually asked. Willow looked up from the book she had taken to read as she had waited for Tara to say something.
"Anyone with the Sight and who is willing to support our Creed. Or actually, the council of the Society votes on it. Alex gets a vote as our Treasurer, Giles gets one as the Castle Master, Kendra is the Guardian so she has a vote as well. Since they gave me double responsibilities as both Librarian and Armorer I actually get two votes so I just need to convince one of the others to support your membership and you're all set!"
"Why'd you even do that? You don't even know if I can provide anything of value to the group," Tara protested.
"Because you're kind and smart and apparently very sneaky so even if you know nothing else - which I doubt since you've grown up on a big farm and therefore must have some skills related to farmy and livestocky stuff if nothing else - you'd be able to provide that way. And, once again, I
really don't want to see you go out on the streets or back to that butthead father of yours if you don't want to."
Tara smiled and started to look for something in particular amongst the gathered reading material. "So, what is this Creed you spoke of?"
"Oh, I completely forgot. Hold on, I'll just go get it!"
Willow moved towards the door, energized yet again by the warm smile Tara gave her, but froze in place when she opened the door.
What she saw on the other side was Alex - who was just about to knock on his friend's door. And he
had seen Tara.
Before he could make any sound Willow grabbed her friend by his collar and pulled him(despite Alex being over twice her size) into the room and promptly shut the door close again.
'Oh fudge.'