[b][centre]Akeholm City; Gutbuster Stadium[/centre][/b] The provincial qualifying tournament had been one highlight after another and this was no exception as the two Orc teams brawled for their score. "Ooh, see that hit, he'll feel it into next week!" Berobson, one of the commentators remarked with an audible wince. The weather was fair and everyone in the stadium heard the sound of the helmet connecting with its owners jaw after being ripped off his head and used as an improvised club. "Skullkrakka is continuing to live up to his name, this has to be the fourth jaw this match." "And it's not likely to stop anytime soon Berobson." Rourke replied, "The refs have tried to check Skullkrakka for the blade they think is made into his gauntlets that he uses to slice the chin-strap, but most of the ones daring enough to try that are in the Hospital for Itinerant Referees. As Captain of the Lonelywood Ravagers team he seems to think the rules don't apply to him." "And judging by how the ref is ignoring such a blatant foul, maybe he's right Rourke." Berobson offered. Suddenly there was a cracking sound. "Rourke, you didn't have that extra rat-on-a-stick did you?" Berobson asked. A question that went unanswered when on the opposite side of the stadium the supports collapsed and hundreds of fans were sent crashing down, then another section of the stands went and the crowd charged the field to get away from the collapsing stadium. Dozens of people were killed in the collapsing structure and several more score were wounded badly. Worse, each of the respective crowds was blaming the opposing team and soon there was a general brawl on the field that soon spread into rioting. --- [b][centre]Akeholm City[/centre][/b] Toldan stood firm as his regiments began arraying. The rioting had spilled out into the streets and it was his duty to clean it up. "It is unnatural! See what happens when you force our kinds to work together soon our better natures come out and there is blood and rioting! BLOOD AND RIOTING!" A cultist of the order had commanded a box and stood in a street crossing and was commanding attention. Most people ignored them and went about their business, which was either getting away from the rioting or joining in. "Arrest that man, roughly." Toldan snapped at the Orc to his right. The Orc came from one of his Warg Rider regiments and spurred his mount forwards to take down the cultist, also an Orc, there was nothing gentle about it as the Warg ripped at the cultists flesh until he gave up. Turning to his men he commanded the runners to step forwards. "Orders are to establish a security cordon and tighten it around the riot zone. Rioters are to be arrested, if they resist feel free to bruise them up, if they surrender on sight, manacle them with the rest but no extra harm is to come to them. Any more Cultists of the Order, arrest roughly, I don't care if they get bled a bit. Fuckers doing this for provincial qualifiers is just not on." For the next twelve hours the military cordon around the area tighened in towards the arena, burning buildings were swiftly put out and the rioters arrested en-masse. By the time it was done nearly thirty people had died, another two hundred needed medical aid of some sort and nearly a thousand had been arrested. But finally the riots were put to rest and all of the arrested were forced onto the playing pitch where Toldan took a podium that had been erected for him, the surviving hedge-mages and commentators were behind him. The mages now boosting his voice. "Today, a tragedy has happened. And the reactions of you, the people, were unacceptable." His gaze passed over them and most couldn't meet his gaze, the exceptions mostly being the cultists who were already segregated from the rest. "For most of you, the sentence for your crime is one of labour. You will be required, by law, to directly aid in the reconstruction of all damaged properties, if you're incapable of providing manual labour you will provide other aid for the reconstruction efforts. Any one of you who it is found was responsible for the death or severe injury of another, though intent or neglect, will have properties sold to a value that will suffice as renumeration for the wounded or the families of those killed." Toldan turned towards the cluster of arrested cultists. "As for the Cultists of the Order, your sentence is much easier. You are all sentenced to the Hydra Pens for manual labour and cleaning out of the beasts for one year. If you survive for the sentence of one year your sentence will be downgraded to twenty years in the Salt Mines of the Thur'abis Plateau." Most of the cultists began to weep. "The rest of you should be ashamed of yourselves. For I am, and so would the great Imperator Sarkasian be." Toldan turned to his first aid, a High Elf woman named Cariel. "Begin processing them. I shall be on the next train to the capital to make a report to the Imperator." --- [b][centre]Sarkansa City; Imperial Palace; Throneroom[/centre][/b] The Imperator looked down at the Dwarf General with something approaching concern. For something this terrible to happen.... "You dealt with it fairly as can be given the situation." Turning to a cluster of couriers and messengers Sarkasian spoke. "You, Lolt, go to the Sunder immediately, inform Lady Elliania that she is required here as soon as possible." The woman, a Lycanthrope, bowed deeply and ran from the room on all fours taking the wolf-form for its speed. She'd be on the next train to the Sunder if she had anything to say about it. "Return to Akeholm, take control of the reconstruction and supervision, but keep them away from the arena for now. I'm going to send Lady Elliania and some Delatores to investigate what happened there and I don't want them contaminating the scene any more than they already have." "Yes my Lord. Shall I go now?" Toldan asked with ashen face and yet feeling grateful they had such a moderate leader. Well, moderate when he chose to be anyway. "Yes, do, I want this mystery unravelled sooner than later. While the Cult of the Natural Order are my guess for who's responsible, I want to know for certain." Sarkasian responded waving his hand in dismissal. As that crisis abated Sarkasian began to wonder if others might not be responsible. "Lord Commander Orvus, I want you to send our airships west and north-west, explore the are and see if they can find any other nations close, I have heard of one amongst the forests and some along the coast, send a trio of windjammers to follow the coast northwards, and tell those exploratory expeditions that they're free to explore our surrounds in expectation of possible settlement." "Yes my lord." The High Orc Lord Commander answered with a bow so deep his brow nearly touched the floor. "Your will be done, for your will is our will and the will of the people." "So shall it be." Sarkasian responded to the ritual phrase reminding himself that Orvus was still an uptight git.