| Current Campaign: New Blood For An Old Sword | |
| Episode 3: "Rank Mummery" | |
| Year: 1763 Summer | |
| Location: Cutriver Wode, Taros | |
PCs:
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NPCs:
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| Previous Episode: "The Ruins of Azedoma" | |
| Next Episode: "Trickery at Taros" | |
| Previous Campaign: The Knights of Eaton | |
A renowned troupe arrives in Taros in time for a festival, but find themselves in a perilous position thanks to the misconduct of aristocratic scoundrels.
Story
Act One: In Cutriver Wode
Orlin's Ambling Mummers are headed to the town of Taros to perform for the birthday celebration of the daughter of Baron Quenly. Heavy rains and flooding collapsed the bridge at Echor Hollow and so all traffic was detoured to a path through Cutriver Wode. They were traveling this bypass for the better part of a week when they suddenly find their passage blocked by a broken wagon.
A throng of travelers gathered to help lift the wagon out of the mire and Orlin's chief guard, Tod, approaches them and harangues them with insults. One among the crowd, a freelance mercenary named Dain, breaks off to face him. Tod, who had been drinking and belligerently arguing with the troupe most of that morning, draws his blade and leaps at his foe. Dain parries his thrust and counter-strikes Tod in the temple with a forceful swing of his fist, killing the guard. Orlin, impressed by Dain's strength, hires him and his traveling companion Bron.
They are two days south of Taros and, while breaking camp one morning, Owen's eye catches an unusual shimmering from within an immense oak tree in the woods. He walks towards it and hears, beneath the roar of the swollen river many meters away, a second roar from within the tree. Dain, Bron and Codi investigate and find a natural hole at the base of the oak and discover beneath it an underground river. A shaft of sunlight reveals the source of the glimmer: coins and gems at the bottom of the coursing river.
Reon volunteers to explore the cavern beneath the tree, and so Dain fastens a heavy rope to a nearby tree and ties the other end around the mage. They slowly lower Reon into the cave and he illuminates its interior with a spell. His is sickened and dismayed to see the fresh corpse of a Larkosian soldier underwater, lodged among exposed tree roots and beckoning at him. Reon guesses the ghastly creature may be an illusion but he lacks the ability to verify his suspicion, so he signals Dain to lift him out. Upon seeing Reon empty-handed Bron harnesses himself to the oak tree and climbs down into the cavern. He ignores the animated corpse and collects as much as he can carry before climbing back out. Bron sifts through his findings and pockets a ring.
As Reon is discussing with Dain and Orlin what he saw, the wet rope lashed around his chest suddenly goes taut and he is yanked back into the hole with great force. Hendricks, one of Orlin's guards, panics and cuts the rope from the tree with the swing of his axe. Dain dives for the rope and, with Bron, digs his heels into the soft ground and hauls Reon back up. To everyone's surprise they pull three men, soaked and sputtering, from the hole: Reon, Ishaq, and Jaffer.
Jaffer and Ishaq introduce themselves and relate their experiences in Azedoma, which electrifies the listeners and inspires a few of them to put the tale to lyric and song. Codi, who is a secret agent for a Malkosti house, covertly passes a scroll meant for Jaffer. Jaffer coolly takes the scroll with a knowing look and tucks it in his robes (he is illiterate).
The group breaks camp and continues its trek northward. Along the way they engage in lively talk, gossip, and sing bawdy road songs. As they wind through the woods, Dain and Delvin ride point. By high noon the two seek a fitting location for the caravan to halt for midday meal. Delvin spies a suitable clearing, upon which a splendidly colorful pavilion is pitched near a stream. Dain returns to report and Orlin steers the wagon train off the road.
Julian claims to know the standard upon the flapping pennant and dismounts to approach the pavilion. Owen and Delvin accompany him as the others set up for lunch. The flap to the magnificent pavilion opens and they are greeted stiffly by a handsome half-Silwaré dressed in splendid clothing. Owen peers over the stranger's shoulder and sees that the pavilion interior is elegantly furbished and remarkably larger inside than it appears on the outside. The stranger announces himself as Artemis and only after Julian introduces himself as a lord of Emberhold does his disposition soften. Artemis introduces the three to his cherished white steed, Bancroft, and Julian delights the lord by throwing his voice into the horse's mouth. His guard now relaxed, Artemis presents to Julian his dilemma: his associates abandoned him that morning and stole his coin purse. He is not familiar with the area, so he is in need of new travel companions. Julian reveals this to Orlin and convinces him that Artemis could be a potential patron of the troupe. Orlin enthusiastically proposes that Artemis journey along with the caravan as their muse.
Act Two: A Mess in Taros
The troupe wheels to the tent city outside Taros and makes camp on a lot. Artemis refuses to encamp with the rabble when there's a decent inn available. He takes his leave and enters the city on horseback. Orlin entrusts the travel purse to Julian with the task of finding cheap lodging at a local inn for the guards; he sends Codi and his roustabout Thwain to keep watch over Julian. They visit The Pepper Pot and Julian rents out the suite for himself and two dingy rooms for the others. With the remainder of the money he opens a tab at the pub and they seat themselves near the hearth. They invite a young goblin, Raymond, to their table and challenge each other to drinking games. After a few rounds Codi asks Julian for a room key and bids the others a good evening.
Reon joins Owen and Delvin as they stroll into town to restock the caravan's provisions. Dain and Bron seek out the guildhall to learn of any news about the mercenary wars across the sea. Ishaq and Jaffer, discontent with the condition of their attire, seek out a seamstress in town. As they go about their various undertakings, the town alarm sounds and soon afterwards the gates are all closed. All passage out of the city is forbidden. Jaffer bribes a guard and is informed that a nobleman visitor has been killed. Word reaches Dain and Bron in the guildhall that the victim was the target of an assassination, and that two others lay dead in the street outside of the brothel. They walk to the street and see a throng of onlookers held at bay by soldiers. Dain observes the scene and sees one of the dead wearing Artemis's clothing. He spots Artemis's horse Bancroft at the nearby stable.
Delvin pulls the freshly-stocked hand cart up to The Pepper Pot and stays outside to guard it while Reon and Owen enter to look for Julian. They are rudely shouldered aside by a squad of guardsmen, who enter the pub and begin questioning the patrons within. Reon pulls aside a barmaid and inquires about the alarm and she tells him that she's heard rumors that a half-blood lordling was murdered. Julian approaches Reon and Owen and, throwing an arm around each, leads them to his table. He is clearly inebriated. Thwain lies unconscious at the foot of the table and Raymond is quietly beaming from behind his tankard of mead. Owen leaves the pub and tells Delvin that they've found Julian and Thwain.
Within the pub Reon, speaking in a fearful whisper, cautions Julian and tells him that Artemis may have been killed. Julian clumsily rises, lifts his drink, and proposes a toast to the memory of Artemis, the noble half-blood. The corporal of the guardsmen asks him, "how do you know his name and his kind?" and Julian stammers and slowly sits down. A witness rises and points to the group, saying, "I saw them outside the city; they come along from the east road with a highborn Ashakré!" The guards encircle them and the corporal says, "Rise and throw down your weapons. You will accompany us to the barbican for questioning." Raymond tries to sign to the guards that he is not a member of Julian's group, but one of the guards shouts "he's spellcasting!" A guard moves in behind him and strikes the poor goblin senseless. They lift Julian and Raymond and carry them from the pub, and march Reon off at spearpoint. Delvin and Owen stare gape-jawed at the spectacle as the guardsmen approach them. The corporal points to the hand cart and confiscates it. His men empty the contents of the cart and load Thwain, Raymond and Julian into it and proceed up the hill to the barbican. Owen remains with the provisions and Delvin races off to find Orlin.
Side-adventure with Wes?
As he is being interrogated at the barbican Reon states that he never personally met Artemis but implicates Orlin, stating the troupe leader was looking for a patron. The captain sends guards off to find Orlin. Reon also exonerates Raymond, stating the goblin is a stranger to the group. The captain releases Raymond and apologizes for his treatment. Julian is given blackroot to sober him up, but he has an adverse reaction to it. He gets sick all over the captain's boots and, after several minutes of questioning, he convinces the guards of his innocence. He is released and he staggers halfway down the street and collapses. Raymond finds him and struggles to walk him back to The Pepper Pot before he is met by Dain and Jaffer, who lift Julian and bear him to the inn.
Reon is released and, as he exits the gate he is passed by a squad of guards marching Orlin inside. Delvin follows the guardsmen, appealing to them. Reon lowers his cowl, clutches Delvin's arm, and hurries her back the inn. They catch up to Raymond, Dain, and Jaffer and as they all round the corner they see Owen sitting on the pile of provisions, reading a book. Dain orders Hendricks to load the provisions in one of the rented rooms and he asks Julian for the keys. "Suite mine," he mutters, fumbling for his pouch. Dain takes the keys as Raymond and Ishaq lift Julian on their shoulders and carry him upstairs. When they open the door they see Artemis sitting on the bed, drinking wine and eating from a tray of food.
Artemis explains that, upon entering the city, he discovered his former traveling companions. He followed them to a brothel and, after a brief confrontation he killed two of them. Dain presses Artemis on the details: he asks why one of the dead was wearing the clothing Artemis had on that morning and the lord coyly admits that his former associates saw him in bed with a prostitute and they were in the process of stealing his personal items again when he caught them. A duel ensued and, after Artemis killed two of the thieves, the others scattered. He looted the bodies, ran back inside and stole another client's effects and fled.
He bribed a street urchin named Darren to hide him somewhere elegant, and the lad brought him through a series of back alleys and crawlspaces to The Pepper Pot. When Artemis saw Julian and Thwain drinking at the pub, he convinced the proprietor that he was a member of Julian's party and paid him for entry into Julian's suite. He brags that he has doubled his wealth now that he reclaimed his own purse and that of the thieves. Jaffer convinces Artemis that he could use some bodyguards, and the noble concedes his point. He hires Jaffer, Ishaq and Dain to be his security escorts until he is safely out of Taros. He snubs Raymond, who returns to the pub and drinks with Hendricks and Owen before retiring to his room. As the day comes to a close, most of the troupe prefer the spacious comfort of the suite and so drag their mattresses there and sleep.
Meta
- Good Lord did I really run a game with these many players?
- Yes.
- This game was played at the house on Cypress Street.