Part 2:
You return to the cold, wet, early winter typical in Phiam. On your first day Brentan and Udarin greet you as a group to welcome you back. They ask you about your experiences. Both of them have been away from the city at various points, Brentan with the Ministry of Security and Udarin on sensitive assignments. After Brentan departs Udarin continues the briefing.
“Since the end of the war the city has seen an increase in crime. Some is due to unemployed soldiers and sailors; some an influx of ships and commercial sailors. I also suspect that one or more organized criminal groups are seeking to fill the void left by the Onice’s fall. Frankly, you are one of the most experienced squads in the city and your reviews from the supervisors in Portet, some colorful language from Chartok aside, are excellent. For now I’ll assign you to the market station.â€
The last month of 788 and the first four months of 789 are uneventful. The winter is harsh but relatively quiet. As spring arrives crime rapidly increases. Most of it is minor but by the Day of Light all of the constables in the city are working extra shifts.
As the summer continues you receive a message from Cobus (which includes a welcome back) that members of both the Redleaf and Sal’ean groups have established interests in the city. By the end of the summer many of the most senior constables remark that it feels like the Phiam of their earliest days on the job.
The fall brings the usual flurry of ships arriving and leaving dock as quickly as possible to try to get in one more crossing before the winter. Petty crime and fighting declines as many captains only allow their crew a single day of leave. This in turn leads to an increase of reports of missing sailors who don’t return to their ships in time.
The winter is again harsh and Brentan departs for the last month of 789 and the first two of 790. You quickly learn that Udarin intensely dislikes being the acting First Deputy and you are called upon to take over several serious cases. Mostly they are high value burglary cases, perpetrated by professional crews. You solve most of them and by the end of the year are convinced that one of the criminal groups is hiring them.
Spring of 790 brings another increase in crime, this time with more violence between rival groups. While you still get assigned to patrol near the end of the second month, just before Brentan returns, Udarin assigns you to headquarters and brings you in for a briefing.
“Over the last few months I have noticed a pattern in the reports of sailors not returning to their ships. I will assemble my notes for you. In the meantime I have assigned you here because we have been briefed by the High Constable that his Majesty and the ministers are concerned that agents of one or more of the organized crime groups may be working for enemies of the Kingdom.â€
We will start on the first day of the 3rd month (roughly the day the other group left for the Plateau). Add an additional 15 months of experience with the same bonus.
