The day had started out relatively normal for the Palazzini di Veranti and the Shield of Veranth. Bartollemeo had been sitting in his office and doing some paperwork when an exhausted underling entered the room with news of the duke's current situation. The guardsman then told his commander that an emergency meeting would be taking place in the fortress and that the meeting's attendees would begin to show up within the hour. And show up they did.

People arrived in droves and quickly crowded the fortress. At its worst, Bartollemeo even had to send out a few guards to make sure the rumors spreading throughout the fortress about people being stampeded to death weren't true. Once everyone had settled in, the proceedings began. Bartollemeo sat close to where people were saying their peace and nominating themselves for positions as Masters of Veranth. It seemed that most people were set on the idea of having Masters. Even is it meant angering the god botherers. Frankly, Bartollemeo didn't care whether the city was run by Masters or by the church. Just as long as Veranth and its people were safe. Of all the people who spoke up though, it was Rodrigo Nantua who caught the commander's attention the most with his bid for the Master of Arms title. The man seemed to have a good idea of what he was doing and from what Bartollemeo had heard of Rodrigo, he had a military mind in that skull of his. Rodrigo certainly had Bartollemeo's vote.