Interlude - Harley

Upon his return to Cauldron Harley soon met up with Fenby and Jill. They reported that the Last Laugh was running well and was making money. They said that they had undertaken the plan he left them with before he left the city and that many of the city buildings which were damaged and destroyed by the eruption were being repaired and rebuilt using his money. His reputation for good in the city was rising. His wine mercantile business was doing well, too. Fenby said that he had found an accountant who he thought would be very good to take over the running of the books for Catervale Wines. His name was Collatinus of Rodin. Harley was pleased with this report. Jil then brought up what she called an opportunity. She said that with the death of the king in Sasserine things were pretty frantic there. She had made some contact with a high ranked member of the Dusters (the Sasserine guild) and there was a general feeling of unhappiness in the Dusters. The current guild master was a very evil man who ran what amounted to a very dangerous and brutal organization. Some reported that the guild master might even have had some connection with the king's assassination! This high ranking member who remained anonymous said that he felt the Dusters were ready for new management. With one simple move they could neutralize the current guild master and put their own person in charge. That person could then bring the guild into line with the Last Laugh�s more relaxed methods and could declare that the Dusters and the Last Laugh were now aligned. She even felt that one of the three of them could become guild master for the Dusters easily enough. Harley agreed, authorizing Jill to make the Guild Master of the Dusters disappear. He decided that he would take over the running of the Dusters when it was done. A few weeks later Harley was in Sasserine, now the guild master of two crime syndicates and an increasingly powerful figure in the underworld.   For reasons which will soon become apparent, Lord Morgan resigned his position as Lord Mayor of Cauldron around this time. Lord Taskerhill called a meeting of the Council of Cauldron. He pointed out with Morgan giving up his position as Lord Mayor this rather left the position open. It was time to vote for a new Mayor. Maavu Arlintal put Harley forward, saying that since the eruption Castervale Wines had ploughed huge amounts of money into the rebuilding of the city. Harley had become synonymous with the new face of the city and with hope for the future. He was the perfect candidate for the new Mayor. The council voted unanimously in favour of Harley. After the vote Harley received a visit from his new accountant. Collatinus came to him and said that Harley would have to accept less money being ploughed into the regeneration of the city for a few months as the coffers of Castervale Wines had taken quite a hit over the last few days. Harley put two and two together, realising that perhaps the vote on the Council was not as fair as it might have been. Oh well.   At this stage Gotrek came to Harley with a problem. Terry, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and beau of Harley, had come to him with a delicate matter to discuss in his role as Captain Commander of the City Watch. She had said that she had reason to believe that Castervale Wines may have been dodging some tax. She wan't sure if this was intentional or accidental and she was certain that Harley was of course completely innocent. She wasn't quite sure what to do about it and wanted some advice from Gotrek both in his official capacity and as Harley's friend. Harley said he would sort it out.   Speaking to Fenby about this he said that the old accountant was not as good as he'd hoped and he was worried someone would spot something. They had of course been dodging taxes but the new accountant from Rodin was much better. Fenby's cover story was that the accountant was simply inept and had been replaced with a better person. However it seemed the old accountant had "left the city" so he couldn't be questioned as to the veracity of this claim.   Harley figured this story would work and cover up the tax evasion but he realised his relationship with Terry was difficult. Listening to the old adage of keeping friends close and enemies closer he decided to propose to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. She accepted. A big state wedding was planned for a few months� time.   Around this time Jill came to Harley again, this time alone. She said she thought this was too delicate to bring to anyone else. She told Harley that she had been contacted by an agent for the Dervishes, the infamous guild of thieves which operates across the whole of Khemit. Word has reached them of the infamous Jester and his new found control of the whole of Mochica� s crime syndicates and they want to arrange a meeting to discuss possibilities. Harley agreed this was a good idea and so set Jill the task of organizing it. It would likely be a few months.   With nothing to do for a few months, Harley considered what he had been told back in the city of Endhome - that Malglurion the Black Dragon was planning an assault on the Temple of Temples in Latherna - the Raven Queen's domain. He could really do with the blessings of the Lady of Fate at a time like this, when he was preparing both a wedding and a meeting with one of the most powerful and dangerous crime syndicates in the world...