Mission 14: The Spider and the Slug
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Exalted: |
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Chapter 2 |
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The Circle With No Name |
The Job
Client: Sesus Nagezzar
Target: Tepet Berel Dunbar
Type: Assassination
Target background: The Grass-Spiders have been commissioned by Lord Slug himself to handle a rogue associate with discretion. Tepet Berel Dunbar, for the longest time, was Lord Slug's chief enforcer and widely considered to be one of the most dangerous men in the Realm. Trained in the House of Bells, Dunbar was a Dragonlord in the Tepet legion that was destroyed by the Bull of North. His survival brought him more disgrace than his defeat. Upon his return to the Realm, he could no longer bear the constant reminder of his losses, and demanded to be allowed to resign. Although most members of House Tepet were being forced into the Legions, with the House desperate to rebuild its forces, Dunbar's connection to the Berel line of merchants made him an exception: Rebuilding the economic might of Tepet was equally important, with many of its satrapies no longer paying tribute. With that in mind, the Tepet elders allowed Dunbar to leave the Legions and instead serve the House by helping to manage its mercantile efforts. It didn't take Dunbar to fall into contact with Sesus Nagezzar, the Realm's foremost crimelord. Dunbar, unable to bear the pain of serving in the Legions but unable to handle the tedium of a bureaucrat's life, instead pledged his fealty to Nagezzar. Making use of Dunbar's military training, Nagezzar initially hired Dunbar to serve as his personal bodyguard. Dunbar was a renowned fighter since his days at the military academy, and famously defeated a young Solar Exalt in single combat in defense of the Slug Lord. Dunbar quickly proved his loyalty, and the Slug, now comfortable lengthening Dunbar's leash, entrusted the man with carrying out Nagezzer's dirty work, which often included racketeering and "taking care of" various problematic people throughout the Realm. Over time, Dunbar grew to become a criminal mastermind in own right and established his presence as a high-ranking lieutenant in Nagezzer's criminal network. Dunbar quickly became one of Nagezzer's most feared underlings, and Nagezzer appointed Dunbar his top enforcer - it was Dunbar's job to dispatch of the most powerful or hardest-to-find people on the Slug's blacklist. As Dunbar's fame and power grow, the Slug has begun to question the man's loyalties. Dunbar has been spending an increasing amount of time with affluent socialites of House V'Neef. Some of Dunbar's underlings, still more loyal to Nagezzer than Dunbar, have suggested that Dunbar is considering a split from Nagezzer to join the V'Neef merchant fleet. The elders of House Tepet (and in particular, Tepet Berel and his family), who still receive their kick-ups from Dunbar (which he can easily afford to pay as a successful member of Nagezzer's empire), have tended to leave Dunbar to his own devices. They have, however, re-entered Dunbar's life, urging him to go through with his defection from Nagezzer to the V'Neef merchant fleet - they see here an opportunity to unite their mercantile strength with V'Neef's own. The combination of reports from Dunbar's underlings and knowledge of the external pressure from House Tepet to leave Nagezzer was a bridge too far for the Slug. Despite Dunbar's effectiveness as an enforcer, the Slug knows Dunbar is charismatic and well-liked, and fears that many of his own men would join Dunbar in his defection.
Critical Notes
Expected Threats