Cade stepped into his mother's bedroom. It reeked. She hadn’t left the room for days.
“Mother… we need to get you a doctor. This sickness is serious, no matter how much you deny it.”
“Don’t bother…” she wheezed.
He sat down next to his mother’s bed. The closed shutters and curtains allowed him to take off his blindfold. Cade could now see his gaunt, frail mother’s grey-white skin, which contrasted with the the wine red sheets surrounding her in the large four poster bed.
“Mother! Why won’t you let me help you?” Cade clenched his teeth.
“Cade, my darling, what would happen if I was cured? You are the new Lord Malroux. I would just be… a burden.”
Cade gently took his mother’s hand. He could feel every wrinkle in her skin, along with how unnaturally light it was.
“Don’t say things like that mother… it’s not true!”
“You don’t need me to guide you anymore”. She let out a few long whooping coughs that wrenched her frail frame. Cade squeezed her hand and waited in silence
“That’s not true, without father, I need you now more than ever”.
“You’re wrong”. She looked into his eyes with compassion and pride.
“Do you really think so?”
“I do”.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, a silence marked by a shared understanding. Cade would be taking on his new role of Lord Morleaux with one less person to guide him. He began to cry, the sound of his sobs filling the room.
After his tears had dryed he stood up.
“Get some rest, mother…” Cade whispered. He put his blindfold back on and left the room.
He was unsure how long it would be until she died. He would have to have a doctor on hand to ease the pain. That would be expensive, but he owed her that much.
---
Cade was systematically searching around his father's office, rummaging through the bookshelves, looking for anything that could help him find the location of the skaa. The Malroux had been hunting them for quite some time, so they must have had some lead on their location. He was going to send his men to investigate, but without any guidance it would take them ages to find anything useful. Using his father’s knowledge would ensure that he did not have to go to outside sources, negating the risk of raising suspicions and jeopardizing his plan. Finally, in the the bottomost drawer of his father’s desk he found some scrolls that he calmly looked through.
“There, finally.” he murmured, as he read markings like “potential refuge, investigate” and “multiple sources confirm, send troops as soon as possible”. His father had hunted the skaa for years to appease the Steel Ministry. It was ironic considering the purpose Cade had in my mind for the maps.
Walking out of the office, he handed the scrolls to one of his attendants.
“Tell my soldiers to investigate the locations detailed on these maps. Have them report back as soon as they check them
all. Get to work.”
---
Public Action
Who: Lord Cade Malraux
What: Building a farm
When: Action 1
Where: One of the Malroux torched lands.
Why: To increase profit.
