As of this morning, all of the Province of Ereautea is under lockdown. The government also locked down more of Nintel, Layda, Pimdan, and Chemko.
"You should have come back when I asked initially," Kelsey messaged me over OCEA, but I could sense the wit in her words. "Just try to survive over there."
So here I am with nothing to do. The University is closed and we are all to remain in our dormitories. So I will recount the events of last night.
***
I'll never forget the date. It was yesterday April 13.
Jon Hogan, that afternoon, came up to me and Climon, warning us not to go to the evening Caucus Meeting.
"He's got henchmen now, that Aldin Blake," he told me. "That's what I've heard. You may not be safe."
"I'm not Blake's source of primary attention anymore," I assured him. "I am only an observer after all. Also, there's been an anonymous Member going around Ticketer making false claims about him. Remember how they said he was attempting to assassinate Edoma Layne?"
That, of course, had been true. Over the the twenty-four hours leading up to the fateful Caucus meeting last night, an anonymous Member, or someone claiming to be a Member, made a post on the Ticketer Public Sector displaying apparent dialogue between themselves and Aldin, with Aldin apparently stating that he would coordinate a meeting with Edoma Layne in front of the Slack. There, Aldin, himself, from behind a bush, would deliver the fatal shot.
The Campus Watch was notified, but, after pulling Aldin's account, determined that Aldin did not actually send the said messages. Therefore, Aldin was innocent.
Though it would have been nice to see Aldin ousted from power, the false rumor was a concern in terms of political chaos within the Society.
Regardless, Climon and I were determined to go to last night's meeting.
"Very well," Hogan said. "If you want to go anyway, be my guest. I'll be staying here though. And don't count on me to save you."
***
Blake was about as insane as I anticipated. He proposed to create an administrative fleet of "Watchers" to make another attempt to free those dangerous avatars from Planet Mahathia. I was expecting Endon's plan of the walkout to fall into place. We did have enough Members on our side.
But Endon's plan went awry.
Instead of walking out, Endon's allies, both Members and non-Members with whom Endon had supposedly talked, stormed the Chamber, throwing papers and chanting "Toss Blake in the lake!" The Bookkeeper Mersk kept shouting "Order! Order!" But no one would listen. Even Endon, himself, was outraged.
"What the hell is going here!?" he exclaimed to me at that time. "I planned none of this! The walkout, sure. But not this!"
Aldin Blake then shouted a command: "Security! Bring order!"
About 100 figures dressed in all black showed up and pushed the rioters out. To my dread, Bookkeeper Mersk took role call and determined that there were still enough Members left in the chamber to carry out the session. My hope at that point, though, was there there were seemingly enough people here against Blake that his idea would ultimately get voted down.
This was interrupted, however, when another Member stood up and announced that a student, here at Cabotton University, was reported confirmed sick with the Neurovirus. Members began leaving the Chamber, but then Aldin issued his second command: "Security! To the entrances! No one leaves this chamber till my agenda is approved!!"
This triggered pandemonium in the chamber. When I looked, I saw the entrance nearest to me had become unblocked, so I pounced on that opportunity and made my way out. I briefly looked back and saw that the Podium where Blake had been standing moments before was now overrun by Members, with Blake, himself, nowhere in sight.
***
As I would find out today. Aldin Blake was beat to death. According to the Flagstaff article, investigations are still pending.
So I hear that now a Tribunal is to take over and manage the Dungeonmaster role until a new Dungeonmaster is elected for next year. That is, if the Society can pull this off under lockdown.
There is no way, though, that Blake was the Master Pagewriter. He died too easily. If the Master Pagewriter is around, I have no idea who that would be. My thoughts have been rushing all over this, in fact. Though I will have time to think, as I feel this quarantine may last awhile.
In the meantime, my thoughts have been wondering back to my trip to Combria a few years back, and my encounter with the man named "Pete." There's never really been a clear answer on whether or not that was, in fact, Peter Quora. I brought this up over an OCEA chat with Susan Parans, who apparently knew Peter Quora's partner: Sophia Qalmers. But Susan insists that I had met with a different "Pete."