"A back alley pub. Fascinating. What city?"

The guard stares at Nortile.
"You asked about the capitol, so I told you about the capitol."

Nortile reflected that this morning he would have been perfectly content with this answer.
"Okay, let's try this again. Do you have any news about events affecting the Empire as a whole, or about events of note in villages, towns and cities within a weeks travel from here?"

"Well, the war with the monsters is at the same standstill as always. That's about the only thing that could affect the entire empire, assassination aside. The town of Gottre is having a festival... Look, if you want to know something specific then ask! The empire is a bit too big too give a status report in less than a few hours."

"Bah never mind then."

Nortile wanders over to the tavern, in the search for the nearest intoxicant.

Nortile arrives at the tavern. There are plenty of people talking and drinking. Glasses clink and raucous laughter bursts out on occasion. The smell of alcohol hangs heavily in the air.

Nortile buys a drink and relaxes

Nortile hears a commotion outside after a while. People are shouting, and numerous horses can be heard trotting through the streets.

Nortile investigates the commotion.

A line of imperial knights rides through the town, slaughtering the citizens and setting fire to the buildings.

Draw bow. Shoot [lead] Imperial Knights. In the face.

Nortile looks around thee chaos of the village. Women and children run screaming and pleading with the knights, only to be slain. The men are either dead or attempting to defend their homes. He tries to pick out the leader from the group, but none of them look any different, nor does any one of them seem to be giving orders. The leader must be elsewhere.