Sigil: City of Doors

Mustafa Leik, appraised of the desire of the Harmonium to have a chat with him, visits the Barracks and presents himself to the desk sergeant.

"Blessings be upon you, and may your loins produce you a hundred children. My name is Mustafa Leik. Renowned journalist of the SIGIS newspaper. I believe your organization desires to speak with me?

I'm sure whatever accusations have been leveled against me are totally without foundation, just like those that were presented against me just a few days ago. So, if we can get this over and done with quickly, i can get back to my work. The news doesn't write itself you know!"

He then waits to see what happens next, with a slight smile upon his lips.

((About to hit the sack, so will respond in the morning to any responses)).

The gruff, eye-patched Factotum acknowledges Mustafa with a nod... or was it the two guards to his posterior - for as soon as he nods, Mustafa is escorted away to one of the interrogation cells and instructed (no... forced) to have a seat. Handcuffed with wrists behind his back, he waits in the empty, bland cell for nearly 90 minutes before a helmeted officer enters the room to add to the sparse decor of two wooden chairs and a modest rectangular table. The voice that emerges from within the confines of the headgear is that of an elderly woman. She stands at the table across from Mustafa, and places a small white slip of paper upon it.


"You've got some explaining to do."

Mustafa smiles and says:

"Greetings O stout officer of the law. May angels sing praise of your noble deeds.

But explaining? Well, if you are referring to the unpleasant incident with Tarion in the Bazaar.... well, I was not planning on causing a fuss, but that man is an oathbreaker.

He promised me a total of 2000 for giving him the front page of SIGIS. I gave him several pages, and yet he withheld 800 of the payment claiming I had wronged him.

Naturally, being a magnanimous fellow, not some disgusting Kefir, I was willing to let this pass. But I guess Tarion is not as noble as I had believed.

So, what do you plan on doing about this?"

WhenWizardsWar,Aug 27 2013 wrote: "And you also need to understand this isnt a society on Oerth, or any other prime where the governments afford people certain assumed rights"

"You want a lawyer? Get one yourself, but guess what your not on trial yet so you dont need one, your being detained as part of a security measure for a very important investigation, you might as well not exist to Sigil right now, when and if we decide to release you and it could be sometime before we are comfortable doing so, then you will be charged as we deem appropriate at that moment. In fact we have so much going on right now, i hope we dont forget about you in your cell".

"I may not be on trial, but I assume I am being held pending one? Surely lawful processes must be obeyed? Or am i being held under false pretenses? In which case, woe is the Harmonium for having fallen so far! I'm sure Factol Sarin will be horrified to hear of such waywardness in her ranks!

But if you offer me to obtain a lawyer, certainly, but I cannot do that with no access to the outside. Allow me to send a letter at least to the Editor-in-Chief of SIGIS requesting our top lawyer to be dispatched immediately to help us resolve this most distasteful matter with alacrity."

"Oh lawful processes will be obeyed, once your submitted to the system, right now your in our company, we are taking care of matters on our end of the spectrum, when we hand you over to the guvners then you can cuddle up and cling to what ever rights you think you have with your lawyers and your fellows at the S.I.G.I.S paper and what ever will help you sleep at night, but for now. I have plenty of time to wait for you to realise its smart to tell both of us the information we want to know if you want to continue your existance here in Sigil".

Mustafa smiles and says:

"Tell me. What is the penalty for calling an officer of the Harmonium a worthless dog? For calling an officer a diseased sow with teats so saggy and with curdled milk that even the most hungry piglet would rather go hungry than suck on such? For implying that an officer of the Harmonium has a face that resembles a baboon's posterior?

Please, it is always good to be educated about the full extent of the law."

"Oh we are doing it right now" says another voice, this one melodic and yet firm, belong to a male officer who enters the room shortly after the female officer.

"And I feel you should understand, its not what are -we- going to do, the question is what are -you- going to do about this?. You've either been in the wrong place at the wrong time lately or you've got one hell of a story to tell, because lately we've gotten alot of reports about you stirring up the public and speaking out against the Harmonium and other factions out there".

The officer, his badge marking him as Measure One Cryptbane sets a document on the table in front of Mustafa, its a list of crimes that are not allowed in Sigil and thinks that can and will get you in trouble, one of them is circled in red several times as if for emphasis.

"Treason
Treason is defined as any action taken against Sigil's protectors, the Harmonium, or their official allies that acts to, or attempts to act to, overthrow the Harmonium collectively or any of its official actors, including but not limited to assassinations, espionage, demolition of official property, and conspiracy. Whether the action was successful or attempted does not affect the charge or punishment".

"Your articles about our actions have been causing quite the stir among the public and in fact your articles talk about us alot lately, if I didnt know better it seems your trying to rally more of Sigil against us with your articles that are starting to promote suspicion against us. I am beginning to think you are a very smart man and turning yourself in, your writings, and your actions around Sigil have, as you know made you a person of interest to us, and we thank you for turning yourself in and being civilized about this, however you will need to understand you will not be leaving this building until we are done with you, until you can prove to us, with out a question that your not an anarchist or that you do not wish the ruling bodies of this city destablized in anyway shape of form.

I suggest you get comfortable because your going to be here for along time.

I will even take the honor of asking the first question, and this is the main reason why I am here, i do not know about the other officer and what questions she may have for you, but my interest in you is because of a recent article that was written with your name as the author.

You plainly state that your trash rag news paper has sources inside the Harmonium that leak information, I want every single name and every thing you know about them, and don't play the -i dont know other peoples sources- card because you are clearly in the know of everything that goes on in this city. You will provide me the names of your inside sources, and you will provide me the names of each sigil author and editor and inker that has contacts inside the Harmonium.

Start talking".

((Thanks for rescuing me from Cadence's silence... it was getting lonely :P))

Mustafa quirks an eyebrow at the long speech, and responds:

"My humble apologies O guardian of the peace. However, i must graciously decline your requests.

It is not done to reveal one's sources. Anonymity is guaranteed you see? Priests do not reveal the confessed sins of their followers. Lawyers do not divulge any information which could hurt their clients. Doctors do not discuss their patients illnesses with others. And journalists do not reveal the names of sources. It is not a difficult concept to grasp.

However, i humbly submit, if there is wrongdoing within your organization, that anyone who is willing to let the outside world know about it, should be treated as a hero! Instead of looking to punish such a person, you should be hailing them! Does your organization not stand for truth and order? Lies are chaos as all know!

As for my articles, I simply report the facts as I find them. If you wish to censor the news, then i think you may first have to take that up with the other factions and also the senior editors and partners of SIGIS.

I am but a humble reporter and seeker of truth."

*he gives a brief bow and sits back with a smile on his face*

"So your refusing to comply? Very well then, I hope you enjoyed your time writing for S.I,G,I.S, because your time as a writer is over, when this interview is done you are being placed under arrest for failing to cooperate with a Harmonium investigation, I am even going to be nice and hold off on slapping you with treason charges which considering your actions lately, it wouldn't be hard to make such a charge stick, but right now your under arrest for refusing to cooperate with a Harmonium investigation, and although I am not charging you you for treason yet, you are being detained on suspicion of potential ties to civil unrest-groups".

"Get comfortable, your going to be in our company for awhile while we get to the bottom of this matter".

He looks to the woman in the room and any other soldiers who may be present.

"If I am not here when this interview is over, escort the reporter to a cell no visitors until further notice, and he is not to talk to anyone with out an inker, and a harmonium measure or higher present. I want him searched for any and all Mimir devices and any documents he may have on his possesion, leave him in the cell in his birthday suit if you have to".

"We arnt taking crap from any more civil-unrest groups and other malcontents".

"Ah, a shame indeed that you feel this way. I must protest my innocence once again, and of course, I do require access to a lawyer.

I shall also expect you prepare for my a lawyer a full list of charges along with any evidence you have for them.

And naturally, when I am released, which I am fully confident of, I shall be making my feelings on that matter clear for all to read in SIGIS. So I would advise you consider this while you handle my unfounded incarceration.

The public after all have a right to know!"