To Kill A Councilman

"Kill everyone there." The judge was going over the plan for murdering the Councilman.  It wasn't so much of a plan as a directive.  He had the layout of the Councilman's manor, with possible guard patrol's marked in red, and best ways to enter circled (the patio had a double glass door entry that would be easy to smash through and see anyone on the other side). Also next to the plans was a double barrel shotgun with a belt of shells.

"You mean like anyone who fights back?" Marian had her mace returned to her, and she'd been gifted a couple supposedly antimagical artifacts to help out against any traps or runes he may have had inscribed in places.

"No I mean everyone in the manor, leave no survivors, burn the whole thing to the ground. We need to control the narrative, anyone who sees what really happened has to die.  I recommend doing this at night because that way there will be less people there, but its up to you." The judge was clam as he could be while pronouncing everyone to die in the building.  Marian caught the implication about night time, during the day there would be more servants and therefore more people she might have a problem killing.  She didn't ask about any family, already assuming she wasn't going to get out of this without being a child killer.

"Anything I should know about the councilman? What kind of magic does he use?"

"Ice, been doing it for years, though he's gotten up there in age and so he will be weakened in theory."

"In theory."

"No one said this would be easy Marian, if it was I'd have just paid some criminal on the street to stick a knife in his ribs, well I should say that would have been successful."

"Anything else?"

"Clock is ticking, you have a week to reach the manor and deal with him.  If you fail or run away I'll find you and believe me death will be the least of your worries." Again the chill, Marian had heard what the Red Hand can do to you should you upset them enough and it was enough for her to realize failing to kill the councilman and dying to his guards, was better than messing with this judge. Marian gathered the shotgun and the plans and made her way downstairs to the new horse they'd arranged for her.  She noticed no other guards were in the building despite several being there earlier.  All the more reason to fear the Judge, he was probably doing this outside of his own governments authority, and her failure would be all the more painful on either side.

It was night out when she set out for the Councilman's manor and there was a cold chill in the summer air. Marian feared it was a sign of things to come and as she tells me the story, she was absolutely right.