Devil's Advocate

Sibling Rivalry

To Jurian Cornelissen Esq.,

Thanks to your continued efforts, we are becoming increasingly familiar with the plight of the Warlock. As such, it is becoming easier for us to argue their case in parliament. However, as you yourself have clarified time and again, the Warlock is but one half of the picture. As we make legislation that affects the practice of Warlockry, we will undoubtedly impact Patrons as well. Despite their mystical nature, it has come to our attention that some of the entities that function as Patrons may actually live within the borders of our Monarchy. In fact, depending on how we end up legally defining the term 'Patron', it may include the members of the Dreilandt mage-family, should they decide to extend an offer for apprenticeship.

In conclusion, it would be in our interest to explore the Patron-perspective in these dealings. We understand that you deal mostly with Warlocks themselves, and only see the Patrons in the courtroom. As such, we were hoping you might bring us into contact with someone who has had more extensive contact with a Patron. Potentially one of your previous clients?

As always, thank you for your time and effort. The Civic Alliance Party is looking forward to your continued cooperation.

In honoured service,

Annemiek Smalbrugge

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To the esteemed Councilwoman Annemiek Smalbrugge,

Immediately after sending this response, I shall indeed put out a request among those Warlocks with whom I am still in contact to reach out to you. In the meantime, however, I shall do my best to lay some of the groundwork. After all, while it is true that most of my clients in Warlockry-related cases are the Warlocks themselves, this is not a reflection of my entire clientele. Though this is significantly more rare, it does occur that a Patron requests my services. Whether this technically makes me a Warlock (or even a Patron) myself, I will leave to be decided by the legal definitions you are currently compiling. For now, though, I will simply share the story of one such client. A party that self-identified as the Coldrock Coven.

If I had to say something positive about them, I'd say they served as a great motivation for me to go hire a secretary. They didn't have an appointment but did not let that persuade them from darkening my door near the end of my workday. I suspect they knew full well how long their consultation might take, and that this not only failed to dissuade them from coming in at this hour, but actually helped motivate that decision.

I was in the middle of reading up in preparation for one of the cases I had accepted earlier that day when the door swung open. I was quick to apologetically explain my free consultations had already finished for the day and bid my guest to return tomorrow. "I can promise you they haven't. We've only just arrived. Besides, you still have three minutes scheduled for them, so we're right on time!" Spoke the first haggard creature in response. Her raspy voice drew my eyes up from my book. Way up. Though the figure I looked at was small and malnourished, it ambled forward on disproportionately elongated limbs. Its skin was wrapped tightly around its skeleton up to just above its knees and elbows, where it hung in loose tapering ribbons. Long branches had been crudely stabbed into the mangled stumps and creaked as they bore an ancient, haggard creature into my office on all fours.

"That is what my schedule says, yes. But three minutes won't be enough for a proper consultation." I explain, surprised but not put off. This woman had not been the first hag I'd dealt with. The only difference was that she was here. In my office. Demanding my aid. "Besides," I continued, "you will need to make an appointment before I can help you." "We did not expect you to be in the business of refusing aid, little Jurian." Came a voice like tumbling stones. Its owner shambled into my office with all the grace of a wet sack full of loose stones. Her thin hair was matted in dark clumps of dried blood, which lent some colouration to her dead, grey skin as it painted red streaks across her face. In several places her thick hide was punctured from the inside by sharp shards of shattered bone, though whatever agony she might be in didn't appear to hinder her.