So much can change in a matter of days. For Jurgun, not eight days past, he had been on his knees in the temple, his head bowed in prayer to the Holy Trinity, as all the faithful should. They had been in the middle of performing sacraments when a loud voice sounded through the city. Even now he could still remember its words that invaded the sanctity of the temple.

"Attention, citizens of the Theocracy of Ulsfarh. This city is scheduled for deconstruction by The Emperor of the Crossroad Wayfinders, in accordance to a divine directive bestowed upon him by the gods both Light and Dark. All who reside here have three days to evacuate the city. Any who remain will be seen as hostile and dealt with by means of violence. All are welcome to apply for citizenship with the Crossroad Empire. Should you be accepted, you will be provided with free and quality housing, food, clothing, healthcare, and hygiene. Evacuate in a calm and timely manner, or face destruction."

Many of the faithful, himself included, rose from their prayers and rushed outside to see what caused the commotion. There did he see his foe in the flesh, for the biggest dragon he had ever heard of flew over the city and made the announcement. And in the sky, hundreds of tiny creatures hovered, the lot of them descending after the Emperor departed. With his own eyes, he saw the tiniest of dragons, each offering out pamphlets that carried the heathen words of the faithless.

One such small dragon flew up to one of his brethren. Perhaps it was a moment of weakness or doubt, but his brother in the faith accepted the pamphlet and read it to all gathered. The words were much the same as the announcement that had been made, along with additional instructions.

Justly so, the righteous were quickly roused into an uproar of anger and defiance. So too was Jurgun part of that holy discussion. But as words were given voice, the common people were already packing up their things and departing. Word had already spread of the Emperor's integrity on the matter of immigration, and so, the masses were easily swayed by his poisonous words.

The guards at the gates could not stop the masses from leaving, and indeed, many of those entrusted with the defense of the city had abandoned their posts. By the next day, an endless stream of people and wagons were seen leaving the city. And with so many of the flock wandering and lost, Jurgun found it his calling to follow after them and to lead them back to the path of the righteous.

The process to be deemed worthy of entry to one of the cities of the Crossroad Empire had been surprisingly swift and simple considering the influx of people. The questions were straightforward enough, and the presence of heathen [Priests] and other such practitioners of magic to detect truth from lies ensured that only the most devious of people could use deceit as a means of entry.

Jurgun swore he would find absolution for the sin of agreeing to no longer worship the Holy Trinity, for his mission was sacred. He would guide the lost back to the proper gods, and together, they would rebuild their homeland.

It chafed that the Emperor made good on his word. The food was plentiful, for one could go to any eatery and dine to one's heart's content for free. The housing was comfortable, with the temperature delightful and the lack of vermin a reprieve. The clothes issued were simple but colorful and practical. There were any number of [Healers] to treat ailments for free, and any number of private or public baths to cleanse oneself of a day's toil.

However, the suffering of mortal life was the will of the Holy Trinity, that through perseverance and faith, one could find redemption and rapture in the hereafter. Such comfort begot decadence, and decadence begot faithlessness. Brothers and sisters of the faith, those whom he had seen time and time again at sermons and meetings of the faithful, they no longer held faith to the true gods of this world, no longer did they hold worship as they should. It was as if this foul place had ensorcelled them to forget what was right and true.

But not all were lost. This trial and tribulation had been harrowing enough, but solace was found in those who held true to the old ways. They had to gather in secret, but their numbers swelled. For while this new city provided for the body, it could not nourish the soul. Many were unemployed, and such a lack of daily toil only served to dampen their self-worth. But Jurgen knew the truth, for there was worth to be found in service to the Holy Trinity.

And so he spread his message in secret, and his numbers surged. Five days became ten, and ten became twenty, as more and more disaffected and disillusioned joined his cause. They could not and would not be ignored any longer. And so, when he believed his followers numbered enough to see his plans reap fruition by force if words of reason could not be heard, he and his faithful marched upon the office of the city's overseer, one by the name of Kaisadoro, who had deigned to be in residence the day of their march.

I heard a knock at the door while I dined with many of my companions. A moment later, Kaisadoro walked into the room, his steps rigid and his posture less inflated than normal. I could imagine him wringing his hands, such were his nerves, although he at least maintained his own level of decorum to abstain from such behavior.

"Father," his voice came quieter than perhaps he intended. He cleared his throat and continued as all conversation stopped, with all present giving him their full attention. "There is a matter that has arisen in one of your cities. Indeed, other cities in the former territory of the Theocracy of Ulsfarh have similar issues, but none are of this magnitude. Would you be available to discuss it?"

Wordlessly, I rose from my seat and walked to the balcony, and with an inviting gesture, my son followed me. I could tell that he was nervous, not in the way of a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar, but more like one who didn't water the garden enough and now the plants were withering.

"Speak your mind, my son. I am sure that, whatever it is, we can figure it out together."

Only a short pause passed before he started speaking, most likely because his strict schedule didn't have any room in it to dawdle.

"There is a large faction of conservative individuals growing in the city. They want to return to their faith. Tensions are rising, with the conservatives causing 'standoff's with the more progressive individuals. They have provided me with a list of demands, which includes a list of progressives they want rounded up and 'dealt with'."

With a simple flourish of his hand, a stack of documents appeared before me. With a few whelps, I read through all of them in parallel while I considered what action to take. Well, I knew what to do, but "how" to do it mattered. It would need to be a bit drastic to make the lesson stick.

"Your caution in not immediately handling this matter yourself is not unwise, my son. The ramifications of this could spark unrest and rebellion if handled indelicately. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will handle this, but I want you there to see the results, so that you may gain wisdom."

"What is your will, my Father?" Kaisadoro asked while bowing slightly to me.

"I want you to host a banquet in honor of the conservatives. I have read their complaints, and I agree that matters need to be addressed to resolve this issue before it gets out of hand. Ensure that only the faithful attend, those who are true believers. And no children, for they are not old enough to appreciate the matters that adults must discuss. I believe we will find a decisive resolution that will put this matter to rest. Can you arrange this banquet for the night after next?"

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"It will be as you say, Father."

Kaisadoro immediately turned to depart, but before he could get back inside, I called out to him.

"And son."

"Yes, Father," he said while turning back to me.

"I'm proud of you. Keep up the good work!"

"Thank you, Father," he replied with a smile and another short bow. "I will not disappoint you."

With more skip in his step than when he arrived, he departed, leaving me to return to my dinner and guests. As I arrived back at the table, and before I took my seat, I called a Jericho over to me. Whispering quietly to her, I provided her with my instructions.

"There are troublemakers in one of my cities. I will transport you there, and you will round up the people on this list." I instructed as I handed her a copy of the list as made by one of my whelps. "Here's what I want you to do," I continued as I leaned in close to whisper into her ear.

Her eyes widened as she listened to my instructions, and her head slightly bobbed up and down in understanding. As I did not have enough chains and irons on hand to bind those that would be brought before me, I would need some time to craft them. But first, I had a dinner to finish, and so I returned to my meal.

A loud crash woke Ambriolita from her sleep. Heavy footsteps thundered through her home, with all indications suggesting that soon her bedroom door would likewise be assaulted. She almost fell out of bed, but managed to rise to a standing position with only her smallclothes as protection. Standing clear of the door, she found herself greeted by a heavily armored foot as the door crashed open. There were many people there, all wearing the same armor, and it took her a moment to realize by the height and menacing prowess that it had to be none other than the "Jericho" that she had heard of. Well, several of them, and they were none too gentle in grabbing her.

Though she had some schooling in combat during her youth, she was under no illusion that she could possibly fight her way past half a dozen copies of this mountain of a woman.

"You are under arrest," one said as it clapped irons onto her wrists. "There are troublemakers in this city, and your name is on the list of those to be brought before the Emperor. Do not resist."

Her whole body trembled with fear, but she found herself fortunate that she at least had the wherewithal to control her bladder. She wondered how she was supposed to walk with such heavy chains on the irons that bound her ankles to one another, but one Jericho solved that mystery. Ambriolita found herself carried like a sack of potatoes over a shoulder of one of them, and in less than a minute since she woke, she was hauled out of her home to who knows where.

"I must thank you again for inviting me and the faithful to this wondrous banquet that you have hosted for us. I must admit, I had my reservations that you would not agree to discuss matters."

This man, Jurgun, sat to my right as we dined together. I sat at the head of a long table with Kaisadoro at my left. Thus, Jurgun, in the seat of honor, sat proud as a peacock, but my [Leadership] Skills could still sniff out the disdain he aimed to conceal from me.

"Oh, I think you will find this matter firmly resolved soon enough. I am delighted that you brought this matter to my son's attention, as I had been previously unaware of it. I don't always have the luxury of knowing about these civil matters. I certainly don't want troublemakers and dissidents in my cities, so I found this list to be immensely helpful. In fact, I have a surprise planned for tonight that will delight and shock my guests."

Jurgun puffed up straighter at my words, and his expression belied his confusion and anticipation at what surprise could lie in wait. He continued to exchange pleasantries and preach the good word in his attempt to enlighten my ignorant self. After a time, when all had eaten enough of their food that they could handle an interruption, I stood. I had no need to do anything to quiet the room, for my metaphysical presence was enough to turn all eyes my way and to shut all mouths.

"All of you know Jurgun, a humble man of the faith who has rallied all of you to a common cause. He saw a problem in society, and he took action to address it. His initiative has brought all of you here tonight. I will address his concerns here directly, but please, if any of you are not devout, if any of you have doubts concerning the cause, then I ask you to depart. There is no shame in lacking his zeal, but tonight is only for those who are worthy."

None stood to depart, and after the moment passed, I raised my hand towards a Jericho who stood at the main door to the banquet hall. Wordlessly, the doors opened, and a small army of Jerichos frogmarched or carried in a large number of people in chains and irons. There were perhaps four hundred guests in attendance, and twice that number among those whom Jericho had brought in. It took a few minutes, but the Jerichos soon had all of them on their knees. Many were crying, some wailed openly, and all looked confused and betrayed.

"Jurgun has alerted me to the presence of troublemakers in this city. There are those who are unfit to live here. In his own words during our conversations, he has said that such people should be executed, and I could not agree more." The crying and wailing only increased in intensity and volume as smiling faces stared back at me from those seated at my tables. "And so, as the Emperor of the Crossroad Empire, and indeed, the Crossroad Wayfinders, I charge Jericho with carrying out her charge. Jericho, execute the condemned!"

Wordlessly, many Jerichos drew axes from their pocket dimensions. These were, at least from the perspective of orcs, smaller ones meant for one hand, but they were rather intimidating to those gathered. Those on their knees cried out, many falling over, but the Jerichos ignored them. Like, quite literally ignored them as they stepped past them.

Gleeful faces seated at my tables turned into looks of confusion, and confusion to panic and terror as realization dawned. Within a few heartbeats, the first Jericho found one person seated at my tables and brought her axe down upon his neck, severing his head from his body. Screams of terror and betrayal nearly shook the room as men and women in the middle of the room rose from their seats and attempted to resist or escape. It was a futile effort.

A stunned and despairing Jurgun sat next to me as I turned to address him.

"You were right, you know," I said as I took a sip from my cup. "I have no room in my city for troublemakers."

He snapped out of his fugue for just a moment. It was long enough to try to curse me, but not long enough to actually act it out in any meaningful way before a Jericho behind him introduced him to the business end of her axe. I continued to dine as the dead and dying spilled out their lifeblood while desperate survivors pleaded for mercy. I couldn't hear them over the sound of me addressing Kaisadoro.

"Mmm, you should really try the bacon-wrapped potatoes coated in cheese! They really hit the spot. Oh, also, I hope this makes my stance clear on religious fanatics and conservative interests that want to bring about an authoritarian regime. Well, at least one that isn't mine," I continued as I took another sip from my cup.

In less than a minute, all the "faithful" were dead, and with a flick of my wrist, pocket dimensions opened up, their inky black surfaces sucking up all the table, bodies, and blood, leaving only Jericho clones and the scared "prisoners" behind. Well, some were actual prisoners, but most were two or three kobolds in a trench coat, each with powerful illusions cast upon them to complete the masquerade.

"Give a hand of applause to our wonderful troupe of kobolds for their performance," I announced as chains and irons fell from the limbs and necks of all gathered. "I owe you an apology for snatching you out of your beds at night, but I wanted to impress upon you the danger that faced you. The fanatics that sat at my tables wanted you and yours dead, simply because you believed something they did not, when your beliefs were quite peaceful. My cities are large, but they have no room for their ilk.

"This could happen for real if you are not vigilant. I have gathered you here because you are good and honest people that want to build a brighter future where all can live together in harmony with one another. Consider this your first interview, for I have government positions that need to be filed, and so far, you all pass."

Kaisadoro stiffly turned his neck to me with as schooled of an expression as he could manage to mask his incredulous visage.

"This is really going to throw off my schedule!" He complained as he summoned forth some paperwork and proceeded to start the second round of interviews.

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