Of Faith and Family

"When you next see her, tell my daughter that I want to talk to her. Veya can set the terms, but I expect her to stop running away when things don't go her way."

I'll convey the message, but I need to know exactly what you and Veya argued about. "Veya has always felt shackled by the rules of House Redoran, hobbled by the many duties and obligations it presses upon its subjects. After the situation involving her brother, she decided she wanted nothing more to do with the House. Or with me."

So your strict observance of rules and obligations caused this rift between you and your daughter. "That may be an oversimplification, but I suppose your statement is accurate. I walk a narrow path between House Councilor and loving father. Unfortunately, the former often supersedes the latter. That's why I want to speak to Veya again."

I'll try to arrange a meeting as soon as I can.

"Did I mention how much I hate being a messenger? Makes me wish I had a writ so I could kill something. Anyway, Naryu wants to talk to you. Said you'd know what it was all about."

All right. Where do I need to go? "Here. This should explain everything. Sort of. It's a map. We change locations every other day, for security reasons. Just in case it falls into the hands of House Redoran or someone else with an ax to grind with our organization."

What do I do with this? "Never had to use a map before? Amateurs! This one leads to a key to one of our safe-houses. And another map. The first map? It depicts a particular town. Kind of like this one, hint, hint. The rest? You'll have to figure that out on your own."

I'll try to decipher the map. "Look. I know you're helping Councilor Eris. But if that map falls into House Redoran hands, I'll probably have to kill you. Nothing personal, mind you. We're already having a bit of trouble with the house and we'd rather not make matters worse."

Do you always carry messages for Naryu Virian? "What are you implying? Can't a person do something nice to help out an ally every now and again? Oh, who am I kidding? I hate playing the messenger! Haven't you ever done something you hate because it was the right thing to do?"

All the time. "Then you understand what I'm talking about. Being noble. Doing the honorable thing. It can be a real pain in the arse, but a favor given becomes a favor returned. Eventually."

No. "Well, not all of use can afford to be so cold and heartless. I'd say I envy you, but that would just reward you for bad behavior. Why are you still talking to me? Don't you have a map to puzzle out."

You're part of the Morag Tong too, aren't you. "Well look at you! You're a practical genius! Look, Naryu seems to trust you, so I suppose I have to trust you too. But that's a powerful secret you've been given. Betray us and you'll find my blade in your back. Unless Naryu kills you first."

You mentioned trouble with House Redoran? "The Morag Tong has the authority to accept and carry out writs of execution. We keep the Great Houses from engaging in all-out war, but they rarely appreciate the work we do on their behalf. House Redoran in particular wants to shut us down."

Why does House Redoran want to shut down the Morag Tong? "The other houses have used us to take Redoran down a peg or two of late. To be frank, for all their vaunted honor, the house cries foul whenever someone gets the better of them. Our status is tenuous enough without Redoran's constant harassment."

Your status is tenuous? "As I understand it, the Morag Tong made mistakes in the past. Grew too arrogant. We had to lay low for more than a century. Now we're taking select contracts, working to reestablish our reputation. It's not our fault most of them concern Redoran."