The Inquest Rebellion

The meeting hall

Current Campaign: The Knights of Eaton

Episode 05: "The Inquest Rebellion"

Year: 1754 Spring

Location: Kandorr City; Larkos, Avandell

PCs: Ambrose the Younger Christopher Cozann Eric Jorganson Katos Windsor Margaret Kelleck Tasselhof Kelleck

NPCs: Aron Rosemurk Elwin Kelleck Eric Jorganson Garn Simonson Grespin Kelleck Katos Kelleck Marshall Cozann Sorscha Simonson

Previous Episode: "Bloodlusting"

Next Episode: "On Velaxian Way"

Previous Campaign: The Thuzuulan Heresy

Kandorr City, afflicted by war and sickness, suffers now from social and political disorder. The Cozann, with the aid of the clerics of Kalamir, usurp the throne from Garn Simonson.

Story

Act One: Honor Duel

The Lord Protector of Kalamir, chief executive of the secular affairs of the church of Yllion, orders an inquiry into the murders at Karim Abbey. He assigns this duty to the Malkostian lord and mage Aron Rosemurk, who arrives from Larkos with his contingent of clerics and begins his investigations.

The lords of Houses Cozann and Polidon question Garn Simonson’s lineage based on his maternal bona fides and so challenge his claim to the throne. The elder sons of Simonson were of a Simonson-Cozann union, whereas Garn and his brothers Hawthorne and Kane were sons of Alissa, daughter of Baron Atwood of Greendale. To his critics, Simonson had a rightful claim to Kandorr City, but not to Eatonshire. The two largest families, the Kellecks and Cozanns, position themselves on opposite sides of the argument and the royal court buzzes with anxious gossip.

In Eatonshire court Garn is carrying on the administrative work of his father and he awards titles to a handful of young nobles, among them are Sir Christopher Cozann and Sir Eric Jorganson. The proceedings are observed by Mages' Guild representative and court official Ambrose the Younger (Hank).

Margaret has since become the de facto political enforcer for her family and she keeps the Kellecks aligned to the Simonson cause. As far as she is concerned the chief internal dispute of the Kelleck family is her cousin Elwin’s support of Gregory during his brief reign of madness. Elwin was Gregory’s sergeant-at-arms of the royal court and during the palace skirmish he and his men attempted to subdue his Kelleck kindred at the mad king’s command. Still stinging from this familial insult, Margaret challenges him to an honor duel. Elwin accepts the duel and the courtyard is made ready by the palace staff. News of the dual spreads among the lords and by that afternoon the royal yard is packed with a curious audience and the anticipation of a spectacle is palpable.

Before he leaves his family manor to watch the dual Chris sees his uncle Marshall Cozann, clan patriarch, conferring with his own trusted lieutenants and Rosemurk and his entourage. They notice Chris and Marshall urges him to continue on to the palace and prepare for a night of entertainment. Chris joins his boyhood friends Jorganson and Katos Windsor and they ride a coach to the palace.

The duel itself is brutal and brief. Although she is an expert warrior, Margaret is outmatched by Elwin, who is a master swordsman among the peerage. Margaret lands two staggering blows to Elwin, but when she attempts to parry an all-out attack she loses her footing and his sword crashes against her temple—she is knocked to the ground, unconscious. Elwin allows her to be carried off the field and he takes the opportunity to deliver an oratory to the assembled noblemen detailing his support for the Cozann cause. His speech wins over a significant portion of the elite. Garn's chancellor calls immediately for a rebuttal and demands an emergency debate in the council hall of the castle.

Act Two: The Council Hall Massacre

The lords hurry to the castle and during the confusion before their assembly Marshall Cozann passes a signal to his covert operations unit, who infiltrate the castle disguised as palace guards and kidnap Garn and Sorscha; the signal alerts Rosemurk and his clerics to position themselves in tactical formations in the council hall.

The lords file into the hall and Marshall deliberately sits in the king's chair, which prompts outraged cries from Garn's loyalists, who rush the podium and are shoved back by the clerics and the impostor palace guards. Above the din, Marshall shouts that he has Garn as hostage and to prove his point he urges his soldiers to present to the crowd Sorscha, who is bound in shackles. The Garn loyalists shout their disapproval, force their way past the impostor guards and into the adjacent armory closet where they equip themselves with swords.

Ambrose summons a thunder-strike within the council hall which deafens its occupants and shatters every window in the room, showering them all with shards of glass and metal. While the room reels in confusion Ambrose dehydrates Marshall Cozann who collapses onto the council room floor—the mage then takes flight out of the council room and above the great courtyard. Rosemurk pursues Ambrose and hurls a rapid series of fireballs at him; the court mage is engulfed in flames and falls, mortally wounded, into the royal gardens.

As two of the impostor palace guard attend to Marshall they are stabbed and killed by Chris, who mistakenly believes he is defending his uncle. The other palace guards strike Chris down and he bleeds out as the skirmish intensifies around him. Jorganson slashes his way through to Chris but is overwhelmed and slain by the men who outnumber him. The loyalists are pushed back from the council room and it is barricaded against them but they breach the room where Garn is imprisoned and liberate him. Katos and Tasselhof locate and free Sorscha and the Kellecks return to their manor and there they meet with Margaret. After she is apprised of the conflict Margaret selects a small squad to accompany her to the port—there they meet with Captain Cromwell, who sails them to Avandell where they hope to win support to retake Eatonshire for Garn.

Meta

Game notes

• played Fall semester, 1991

Points Awarded

• 3 points for all

Season Pool

• 20 points