Session Sixteen - May 15, 2004

Wherein the ongoing story of the FtF campaign may be found ...

Session Sixteen - May 15, 2004

Postby Matt » Thu Sep 16, 2004 6:17 pm

Lodge Brothers of the Drunken Rakir

Larane 2, 730 TR


The party is discussing what to do with Jond. Maybe we should kill him, maybe not. We ask Parmen if he plans to kill Jond, and what to do about the Pale One. Parmen thinks Ivor is not much of an issue, and mentions the third fanosel den must certainly have been moved by now. He doesn’t know anything about Pelisa’s murder or the 3-mascle design.

Arlen’s wounds are bad, but his ruddy good health is such that his neck has been almost completely healed overnight.

Arlen, Kamen and Ardeth go off to Jond’s place. Ewen, Bevan, Dascomb, Imarë and the dog go over to the tenement on Orku St.. The tenement is in a seedy section of town. Pelisa lived on the top, 4th floor. She lived in the corner room, next to a 3rd story next door, although the adjoining building has a steep, tiled roof. The party enters and go upstairs. The stairs are not creaky. On the 3rd floor landing, a man comes out. He doesn’t say anything. The 4th floor is quiet, and the door to Pelisa’s apartment is open. All her stuff is still there. There are bloodstains in the bedroom. The sheet is so bloody that the only white spot is where she was lying on it.

There is a key lock on the front door. Contents of the room include a chest with clothing in it, and a small box which contains 2000d+. The only blade in the room is a small utility type knife that doesn’t look sharp enough to use for this kind of murder. It doesn’t look like there was a fight. The party talks to the other people on the floor. Everyone on the 4th floor is female. They don’t know anything useful. Joak was the name of the guard that was killed. The impression the group gets is that all these women are whores. They decide to go to the morgue.

Arlen, Kamen and Ardeth reach Jond’s. They find the apothecary boy dead on the counter, testicles missing. Drellis of Bee is in the back room, in similar condition. Drellis’s eyes are also gone. The three of us go upstairs. No one is there and the fanosel doses are gone. The bodies are not fully cold.

Each was killed with a quick dagger stroke to the chest. The group decides to report the murders. The embalmer’s is just around the corner from Jond’s place. Byrgot of Nobis is the embalmer. His shop has a smell to it. Pelisa had no next of kin, so the Guild is going to arrange for festivities at the temple of Halea tomorrow. Byrgot says she was suffocated. This is not obvious, but a trained embalmer can tell. The key in her mouth was given to the watch. Arlen’s group goes to the Palace of Gelashen (Town Hall), and speaks with a seneschal and the sergeant of the watch. We give details, presenting ourselves in the best possible light.

Everyone then returns to the Tabard & Hearth. Ewen decides to stop by the temple of Halea and the Harpers Guild. Arva and Imarë go along. Colm is not at the Guild, but Askill of Hetton is. He says the service for Pelisa will be tomorrow at noon, with feasting and entertainment after the ritual. Askill doesn’t know of any family. She was from somewhere around Telen. Askill suggests Ewen sing a song at the funeral; Ewen agrees. Askill will sing backup.

The trio then goes to the temple of Halea. Xandia is there and is thrilled to hear Ewen will be singing at the funeral. Arlen drinks in the common room. Also there are merchants, grunts of the II Legion, travelers, etc.. Arlen talks with men from Tashal. The lead merchant is Uril of Asaka. He is the largest salter in Tashal. Then he talks to some legionnaires. They tell him the I Legion (Boars) went off to conquer Orbaal. This answers the question of how Arren II will respond to Morgan’s efforts in the north.

Everyone returns to the Tabard & Hearth, and it is decided to initiate Arva into the small group of those who know the truth about Morgan. The group devises an initiation ritual:

• The initiate is cut in the same manner that Arren I was in his last official battle
• The story of what actually happened there and what has happened since is told
• The initiate is asked “Do you understand what you have heard?” (it is expected that the initiate will answer ‘yes.’ Otherwise I don’t know what we’d do.)
• The benediction is recited: “You have heard the secret and this knowledge means you shall die. But all men die, and our time is not yet decreed. As a member of our ‘guild’, you shall keep this secret until death overtake us all.”
• Initiate: “As the depths of Kiraz last, so shall my oath.
• All: Amen.

The ritual performed, we all hit the sack.

Larane 3, 730 TR

The day is ours. The funeral is at 7:00 (not sure how that jibes with the noon figure given above). Bevan and Arva go to the spa. Arlen and Kamen swing past the Gelashen palace to see how the investigation is going. They’ve decided it was a burglary. They meet Sir Meleanger on the way out. He is armored and has his arms on.

We know he is illegitimate, and has not been recognized. He says he would like to recruit Arlen for the Earl’s guard, and Arlen shows interest. Meleanger says he will be in touch. Imarë, Arva and Bevan go to the perfumer/spa. Ardeth goes to the second fanosel den. There he is accosted by beggars, but goes in anyway. No one seems to be around. He examines the altar, but finds nothing. He finds a secret staircase, and uses it to escape from pursuers. Then he ran, and found a hollow column. Note: we have crowbars and hammers, suitable to taking apart columns, tombs, etc. …

The Funeral:

Everyone goes to the temple of Halea. We are led into an opulent chamber. Here there is a curved table covered with a white tablecloth, and across from that is a small amphitheater. Sir Meleanger is also attending the funeral. Xandia greets us and shows us to our seats. There is varied entertainment. Ewen performs. We all have a good time and go home – Sir Arlen a little earlier than most.

Larane 4, 730 TR

At breakfast, a boy runs in. He goes straight for Bevan and drops to his knees. “My lady, I bring a message,” he says. Sir Auram wants to see Bevan and Arva. The boy’s name is Reevi. He leads the two women and Dascomb to the Palace of the Red Domes, to a small hall whose windows face into Caran Square. Dascomb is halted outside.

Sir Auram is there with three other men. Both Sir Auram and the seneschal hold staves. The other two knights are armored. Sir Auram greets Bevan and Arva and introduces them to Sir Tovar of Delwen, whose arms are half horse and half stars. The other, a very large man, is Sir Blors Manfrungtane, who grunts. He does not seem happy.

Sir Auram says the situation in Golotha is grave. It has been two years since the rebellion and the King’s writ still does not run in Golotha. He says it is crucial now, with the King out of the kingdom, to keep close tabs on the city. Sir Auram orders the two to go to Golotha with the rest of the party. A member of the Clan Lenesque lives there. That clan was allied with the former Earl of Techen before the conquest. The party should get rid of this person and find out what’s going on there, especially with the church of Agrik, which still wields too much power. Sir Tovar, commander of a cohort of the VIII Legion (Golotha’s garrison), can answer any further questions. We are to leave within a fortnight and report back within two months. Sir Blors does not like all this. The women are given £5 expense money. On the way out, Sir Auram asks if Sir Arlen would like a position as an officer of the crown. Bevan says yes, and he says to send Arlen around to pay a call.

Back at the Tabard & Hearth, the group asks Arva how long she’s known Sir Auram. She says she used to tour with a troupe, and the head thereof, Kistolf, knew Sir Auram. When the troupe broke up, she came up here to see him.

Sir Arlen goes to see Sir Auram. Sir Auram mind-reads him. With some roundaboutness, he appoints Sir Arlen the constable of Castle Menekai, with the XIII Legion garrison. Sir Arlen leaves immediately. There is also a Chancellor of the Earldom of Menekai, who actually manages the earldom for the crown, there being no Earl of Menekai at present. It seems a rather impressive posting for a relatively young, inexperienced, and practically unknown knight.
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Matt
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