Session Thirty-Nine - August 12, 2006

[Matt]

6 Nolus, 731

Imarë looked around at the party as they settled down for breakfast. “We have targets painted on our backs,” the elf said ominously …

As the party slowly digested those words (one or two still suffering from the effects of last night at the Spurs) Sir Baris stood to get tea. He made all of two steps before running into a chair (he was definitely suffering), stubbing his toe, letting out a yelp, and crashing to the floor holding his foot. This of course broke the somber mood as everyone collapsed laughing. Unfortunately, the toe Sir Baris had stubbed was the same toe that had been earlier afflicted with gout. Clearly, Baris had not been as cured as everyone had thought, although mayhap the drinking and the dinner last night had inflamed the toe.

After a few moments of sitting on the floor nursing his toe, Sir Baris was able to stand. “I know there’s a lot of work we still have to do, but pray continue without me. I’ll be spending the day and perhaps the week in bed so that I’m perfectly healthy for the tournament.” The other members in the group had already come to this conclusion and so all agreed and wished Baris a speedy recovery as he was helped up the stairs by his squire Quinn.

As the rest of the group sat down to finish their breakfast it was agreed that Kaelyn, for her own safety, move into Gray House. Bevan wondered where they would put the poor girl as the house had no extra rooms, but that problem was solved by Imarë who offered to share her room as she put it ‘I’m an elf and elves don’t need sleep.’ If Kaelyn had any doubts as to the authenticity of the elf, this statement most likely dispelled them (or a few of them at any rate). Sir Ewen brought the discussion back around to Sir Maldan and his possible actions towards the group.

“We’re not going anywhere alone, but if we should happen to get separated we should plan on meeting at the Spurs. It’s a public place and we seem to have a little protection there,” Imarë said before the discussion went too far. All nodded their heads and continued to speak of the likelihood that they would be attacked or at the very least followed by Maldan’s men. By the time that the party had finished breakfast a conclusion was made that Maldan would most likely not attack until after the showing of the Earl of Osel. However, as the sheriff was a natural plotter and planner, everyone would remain cautious and, hopefully, aware of their surroundings.

Kaelyn wished to pick up her stuff from the Tower as soon as possible, so Imarë and Bevan agreed to accompany her immediately after breakfast. Sir Ewen was going to remain in Gray House as his only duty of the day was to inform Para of last night’s meeting. As the ladies made their way to the northern part of town they discreetly checked to see if they were being followed. They could see no shadowers and reached the Tower without incident. As they walked through the front door of the Tower, Sepian, the owner, came up asking if they needed rooms for the evening. Bevan told the owner no thank you and Imarë suggested that maybe a little hair of the dog would be in order. As the three sat in the nearly empty common room drinking their ale they noticed a vaguely familiar face. It was a burgher from the Harabor party the previous evening. None of the ladies could remember his name so he was almost immediately forgotten. After the pint of ale, Kaelyn went up to her room to pack her few belongings: a changes of clothing, some books, and a few little mementoes from her time at Chyrefal. The trip back to Gray House was as eventful as the walk to the Tower, which is to say that no one noticed anything out of the ordinary and they weren’t attacked in broad daylight.

As everyone reconvened at Gray House, Sir Ewen, who had spent the morning thinking of how and when he should contact Para, asked the group for suggestions. It became clear there were only three good options. The first was to use the Red Fox, an inn that Sir Ewen had met earlier with Rhonna. Unfortunately, Ewen recalled there were restrictions placed on when and how he could use that inn as a contact point. Also, just as lamentable, Ewen had forgotten what exactly those restrictions were. The Red Fox was thus an option only to be used as a last resort. The next possible option was Galopea’s Feast, as they had met there with Para before. However, if Sir Maldan was watching them, there was a possibility that he would come to the conclusion that Sir Ewen’s “allies” could be found there. While everyone agreed that Para could take care of herself and most likely everybody else, it would be a waste of fail-safe meeting place if it were found out. The third option was to pass on a message via Halime at the Spurs. Ewen pointed out that Halime knew Para and most likely had been threatened by her to keep his mouth shut. Imarë suggested that it might be possible that he had been mind-blocked as well. Someone suggested that Halime liked to feel as if he was part of a conspiracy, especially since he was the guildmaster of the Lia Kavair in Tashal and all. After consideration of all three choices it was decided that the Spurs would be the best place to leave Para a message, with a verbal message better than a written one.

As the group thought of what they would like to say in the message, the shorter the better, Ewen thought of another way to misdirect Maldan’s attention. He pointed out that Maldan was most likely a man who, while having allies, would not trust them with his plans if he could help it. Ewen continued, “He thinks that I am the ring-leader of this. He wouldn’t believe that anyone that I openly associate with could have a lot of information, much less be co-conspirators of the plot. It might be better if I am not the one to deliver the message, but instead, if we are being watched, let me draw off anyone who was sent to shadow us by going out and doing nothing but enjoying the night life of Tashal.”

Luckily, Ewen’s friends are smart and saw the advantage of this immediately. Bevan looked at Ewen and asked if he was going to take her out to dinner, while Imarë and Kaelyn went out to the Spurs again tonight. Ewen laughed and said that was a good idea, and that they should probably dine at the Iron Bell. With the plans made, everyone spent the rest of the day resting.

That evening as Sir Ewen and Bevan were about to leave for dinner, Bevan came to the realization that they were about to send an elf with bad eyesight and a combat-inept girl to the Spurs alone – at night. Bevan decided that no matter how much he protests, Dascomb was going with them. Dascomb, of course did protest, but in the end he agreed that Bevan would be perfectly safe with Ewen. With that settled, Bevan and Ewen left for the Bell and a short time later Imarë, Dascomb and Kaelyn left for the Spurs.

Since it was only a short walk down the street, they ran into a little bit of trouble. As the three approached their destination they saw a man, poorly dressed and obviously drunk, accosting a women who was only slightly better dressed. As Imarë and Kaelyn stood weighing the options of getting involved or not getting involved, Dascomb decided to show a bit of his hidden chivalrous manner and intervened.

“Pardon me, sir,” Dascomb rumbled as he put his hand, a bit heavily, on the man’s shoulder. The man instantly responded by taking a swing at Dascomb, of course he was drunk so it wasn’t a very good attempt. Dascomb, taken off guard, tried a right hook of his own and missed. The woman, unnoticed in the confusion, had scrambled off to one side. As soon as the man regained his somewhat precarious balance, he made a lunge at Dascomb, who, being a better fighter, moved slightly out of the way and tripped the man. The man fell face first into the dirt. Dascomb calmly reached down and pinned him there.

“You had better find another drinking hole,” he said as the man struggled weakly.

“Get off me! You’ve no right to …” protested the man as Dascomb pushed his face farther into the mud.

“I said, you had better find another drinking hole.”

The man nodded his agreement and Dascomb began to let him up. Imarë and Kaelyn were watching behind them in case that this little scene was an act caused by the sheriff to get a hold of one of Ewen’s associates, and therefore didn’t see the women run and jump on Dascomb’s back. They did however hear her screeching “Get away from him!!!” As the ladies whirled back and prepare to go to Dascomb’s aid if he should need it, Dascomb calmly reached back and pick the woman off his back. He looked at her a moment and said “But he was hurting you.” The woman’s only reply was to run down the street after the man.

By this time there was a small crowd gathered in front of the Spurs. It seemed that chivalrous acts were great comedy entertainment. Dascomb dusted himself off, and he and the ladies walked into the Spurs.

As the trio sat down at a table, they noticed that they didn’t see Halime anywhere. As a serving wench came over Imarë asked where Halime was.

“He’s in a meeting,” the wench replied wiping off their table with a beer-soaked rag.

“When will he be available?”

“Are we in a hurry?” Dascomb asked in a slightly irked voice.

“I guess you’re not, Honey. I’ll bring you some ale,” and the wench walked back to the bar.

A few minutes after the ales were brought, a well-dressed man came over to the table bringing his own ale.

“So, you’re the famous elf?” the man says as he sits down.

“Yes, or infamous depending on your view,” Imarë replied.

The man introduces himself as Owain and Imarë introduces the rest of the table.

“I’ve heard you’ve been to many parties.”

“One or two,” Imarë replied cautiously.

“That must be hard on your wardrobe,” Owain said taking a drink of his ale, looking not very concerned of the fact that he was being glared at by Dascomb and Kaelyn.

“Not so hard,” the elf replied beginning to suspect that there was more to this man than just an overconfident buffoon.

“With the current season’s color scheme, you must find it difficult to accessorize. I just happen to have a few unique pieces you might be interested in.” Imarë’s ears perked up at the thought of pretty sparkly things, but was still suspicious of Owain’s intentions and possible employer. “I could arrange for a private showing if you would like,” Owain continued smoothly.

“I am afraid now is not a good time,” Imarë replied.

“Do I look like a fool?” Owain said, “I would have to be a fool to carry anything of value in here. If you are interested we could arrange a later showing.”

Imarë looked at Kaelyn and asked if she were interested. Kaelyn, not used to jewelry, replied that she had no use for baubles, but would be willing to accompany the elf if she wanted to look at them. Imarë turned back to Owain and asked when this later showing would be.

“Oh, shall we say here on the tenday about this time?”

Imarë nods her assent and Owain picks up his tankard of ale and walks away.

About 45 minutes later Halime comes walking in the common room from a door leading to a back room. He comes in with one arm thrown familiarly around another man, who is perhaps a relative as he looks very similar to Halime. They proceed to sit at a table not too far away from the party. After a few minutes more, and some not so subtle looks, Imarë grows tired of waiting for him to notice them, and tells the serving wench to ask Halime to ‘stop by when he gets a moment.’

When Halime gets the message, he comes over to the table. The first thing the party does is ask him about Owain. Halime says he doesn’t know him, but the trio knows that doesn’t mean he isn’t a legit thief, or working for Para. Imarë also asks that Halime deliver a message for the group. The message is “On behalf of Ewen, tell the lady: message delivered.” Halime looks up at the ceiling as if thinking. After a moment he mumbles “ I guess that qualifies.” He looks down at the group and says, “Ewen is to come tomorrow night at 10 o’clock, not here, but to the building next door. He is to knock five times on the back door.” He looks at the group as if to make sure they understand and then returns his own table. He beckons the serving wench and declares that ales are on the house for ‘that’ table (‘that’ table being the party’s).

Kaelyn tells Imarë and Dascomb that they should perhaps stay awhile as to make sure that it would not be obvious to anyone watching that they came in just to talk with Halime. It is agreed and the party has a few more free ales, plays a couple of games of chance, with no one winning or losing anything, before they head home.

Meanwhile, as Bevan and Sir Ewen walked to the Iron Bell, they kept an eye out for people who might be following them, but noticed no one. At the Bell the owner, Rosak, welcomed them and as he showed them to their table, raved about the great new wine he just got in. When Bevan and Ewen were seated they took a look around the dining room for any familiar faces. They only person they recognized was the Lady Peresta Bastune and her young dinner companion. The gentleman in question was handsome, well dressed and had ash blonde hair. The only thing that made the him stick out in Bevan and Ewen’s minds was that he had a light coating of gray dust on his boots. After a few moments, Lady Bastune noticed the party and gave them a slight smirk and a nod as a greeting. As Bevan and Ewen didn’t know the lady as well as Sir Baris, they were at a loss as to what that smirk meant. By this time the Rosak was returning with his newly imported wine.

“Here’s the new wine. It’s from the Azeryan Empire, and I think you’ll find it very enjoyable,” Rosak happily explained as he waited for the opinion of Bevan and Ewen. The wine was a light, yet slightly dry red, with the hint of salt that indicated a long sea voyage. Rosak was happy that the two found it ‘enjoyable’ and quickly disappeared to prepare their order. After a few minutes their meal was brought out in courses. The entire dinner was excellent and several of the courses had a very rich taste to them. After dinner both enjoyed a glass of after dinner brandy and then the bill arrived. Bevan looked at Ewen expectantly, after all he was supposed to be treating her to dinner. Ewen did in fact pick up the bill, which came to 118d, and paid for it out of his pocket instead of using the line of credit that Rahel had afforded him. He didn’t wish to offend either lady. On the walk home, Bevan, despite the rich, heavy meal she had just had, very aware of her surroundings and noticed no one following them. Which was fortunate, as Ewen seemed to be oblivious.

7 Nolus, 731

In the morning the party (sans Sir Baris, who still remained abed) began with their usual ritual of the breakfast meeting. Imarë and Kaelyn told Ewen and Bevan about their night at the Spurs. The news of Owain was first discussed. Both Ewen and Imarë suggested that there was a possibility that Owain might be an agent of Para. Finally it was decided that when the appointed time came Imarë and someone else, if not the whole company, would meet him. It went without saying that who ever went should be prepared for anything. Imarë suggested to Ewen that if got the chance he should ask Para if Owain was an agent of hers. Ewen agreed, quickly seeing that advantage of if not confirming his employer, at least eliminating a possible reason for the meeting and Owain knowing so much about the elf. The party then immediately dismissed Owain from their minds and started to make plans for this evening’s meeting with Para. They came to conclusion that Sir Ewen would go to the appointed place alone, but Imarë and Bevan would follow discreetly behind him to see that he arrived safely. Kaelyn would remain behind in Gray House as she pointed out, she would be rather useless in a fight if one occurred. Next they discussed the route Ewen would take. If he took the long route around the block, it would give the two ladies a chance to pick out any ‘shadows.’ The other route would be the direct route from Gray House to the Spurs, only a block a way. It was finally decided by Ewen that he would take the direct route, as the party had visited the Spurs often enough for no other reason than seeking entertainment that if Ewen was followed the alleged shadows would likely think nothing of it. After Ewen’s decision no one had anything further to add. The party had finished making plans for the evening before they finished breakfast, proving that they had great faith in Para and felt no need to prepare for all eventualities as they usually do. When Kaelyn and Imarë indicated that they had nothing further to tell of the evening, Dascomb having already informed Bevan of the scuffle in front of the Spurs, Ewen spoke of his evening out with Bevan. There was just one quick point of interest that the party touched on: the topic of Lady Bastune’s dinner companion, more to the point, the gray dust that was on his boots. It should be noted that the party made a few quick jests about informing Baris that the Lady Bastune had found a replacement while he was spending time in his own bed, before they began the discussion of the gray dust. There were two suggestions for the source of the dust. The first was that the young man was a workman, either at a building that was being torn down or coming up. The possibility that the dust came from such a worksite was not a concern to the party unless the building in question came from a suspect location, for example a house out of town or on a property with recent connections to Sir Maldan. The other possibility mentioned was that of a crypt. As the only other type of persons the party (sans Kaelyn) had seen associated with crypts were not pleasant this was of some concern for the group. As it was, the party decided that there was nothing that they could do at the moment so the matter of the gray dust was filed away for further discussion when more information came to light.

The party spent the rest of the day engaging in either preparations for the tournament or catching up on little household duties before the evening’s meeting.

As the time approached for the meeting, Sir Ewen considered his apparel options, and decided to wear black leathers and to take only the weapons that could easily be fit on his person or easily carried. He intended to have the greatest allowance of mobility, but still be able to defend himself if need be. Soon, Ewen, so attired, left for the meeting, and detected no one following as he walked south towards the Spurs. Approaching the alley, he could see the outline of the door about seven or eight feet in. Towards the very back of the alley, presumably where the back door of the Spurs was (about 30 feet in) he could see by the dim light of the waxing moon a figure possibly standing guard. The figure made no move toward Ewen nor any indication that he had seen him, so Ewen smiled to himself and knocked on the door five times as he had been told. The door opened and Halime quickly ushered Ewen in.

“I have been asked to show you to your escort for the rendezvous,” Halime said as he closed the door and indicated a man in the corner of the room. The man was medium sized, in his twenties and while slightly taller than Ewen, had lighter body build than Ewen. Halime introduced the man as Emil of Karpin. “He’ll be showing you the way,” Halime said and in a more serious voice added, “Step where he steps, follow where he leads, and don’t get separated.”

Ewen nodded and began to follow Emil. As Ewen walked quickly through the room, he noticed that the room appeared to be nothing more than a common room with tables and chairs. There was no evidence of a bar, suggesting that private meetings were held here. At the far end the room, where Emil was headed, there was a corridor that led off to the left. An opening on the right side proved to be a doorway and Emil leed Ewen down a set of stairs that curved to the left (east if Ewen was paying attention). Ewen and his guide continued down the stairwell until at last they came out facing southward in a dark storeroom. Emil opened a secret door on the eastern side of the room and they proceeded down a narrow corridor about three feet wide.

Around the same time that Emil began to lead Ewen down the stairs, Bevan and Imarë reached the alleyway. They saw the same man that Ewen noticed at the end of the alley, but no Ewen. The ladies weren’t really concerned as a quick glance around the alley showed no body or blood. They came to the conclusion that Ewen got farther ahead of them than they thought and was already inside the building. They decided not to return immediately to Gray House, but to have a couple of drinks at the Spurs instead.

As Emil led Ewen down the dark corridor, his eyes adjusted to the dark. Eventually his guide came to another secret door on the southern portion of the tunnel. This led the two men down a tunnel made out of stone, about the same type of stone one would see within the hallways of a castle. This tunnel was still as narrow as before, but unlike the previous tunnel Ewen was led down, this tunnel had obvious twists and turns. Emil and Ewen followed the turns, turning first east, then west, then north. They turned west again before another turn to the north. Finally they got to a point in the tunnel where there was a hook with an oil lantern on the wall. Emil lit the lantern and they were able to see more clearly. The tunnel widened to about five feet across and was now mostly packed earth instead of stone. They continued north for about 100 feet before the tunnel changed again to an opening that appeared ovoid in shape with the top being six feet wide and the bottom about five feet. The opening itself is stone, with excellent stonework, and a channel built into the stone, clearly for run-off. On either side of the channel there was a walkway about a foot and a half wide. Ewen was grateful for the lantern as the walkway would require them to watch their step. Ewen followed Emil for almost 200 feet, roughly northeast on a very slight downward slope, until they came to an underground stream flowing in its natural streambed about a foot and a half deep. The banks were visible, showing Ewen that the stream was at a low point. When the stream would rise, it would then flow down the channel Ewen and Emil had just come through. The current came from the east and the stream curved slightly to the north farther down. Ewen continued walking in a north-northwest direction along the west side of the stream, following Emil for about another 400 feet before they came to a piece of stonework that dropped into the stream. The stream flowed around the cylindrically shaped stone. After another 50 feet, Emil stopped and says they were to wait here. As Ewen looked around he saw a junction ahead where there were three other tunnels. One leading off to the north resembled the tunnel he had just come from. The tunnel leading to the east and the other leading to the south appeared to be of the same stonework as the ovoid. As the stream led to these tunnels its banks expanded. After a few moments a lantern appeared in the tunnel opposite Ewen, and as it came nearer, Ewen made out three figures. One was man who resembled Emil, leading Sir Maldan of Harabor and another man. As Maldan approached, Ewen saw that he and the other man were fully armed. They stopped about 60 to 70 feet from where Ewen and his guide were waiting.

“Is this the place you choose for a meeting?” Sir Maldan shouted indignantly across the gap to Sir Ewen.

Ewen thinking quickly, as he had not expected the sheriff, replied “Sir Maldan, so good of you to see you this evening.”

“Get on with it.”

“Well, we may have a slight wait.”

“I am not a patient man, Sir Ewen.”

“All the more reason I value your time and indulgence tonight Sir Maldan. But I think you find it of interest,” Ewen replied, having quickly grasped the reason for Maldan’s presence. Sir Maldan began to speak, but cut himself off as more figures approached out of the eastward tunnel. The figure was of average height wearing loose fitting black garments with a scarf or cowl around the head.

“So good of you to come gentlemen,” said the figure. Ewen immediately recognized Para’s voice. Sir Maldan, hearing only a female’s voice, started to move forward. At that time four more figures clad in the same attire as Para came out of the other tunnels. Sir Maldan stopped his forward progress and demanded to know who they were. Para calmly replied “That’s not important, but this is.” As if that was a cue, another black-clad figure stepped forward leading a finely dressed man.

The man was the missing Earl of Osel, looking much better than when Ewen and party first met him as Digger, but still, to Ewen’s eye, a little rough around the edges. Apparently the shock of the appearance of Sedris Meleken threw Maldan a little off balance and the sheriff did not seem to notice the seemingly rough condition Osel was in.

Looking at Maldan Osel began to speak with difficulty, “You ... tried to kill me.”

Maldan, upon hearing this, took a step back, but quickly regained his wits and yelled “Now!” and he drew his sword and killed his guide. The figure leading Osel, pulled him back within the tunnel as the other four quickly formed a line across the tunnel entrance.

“It’s time to withdraw Sir Ewen,” Para said as Emil began to pull him back through their tunnel. Ewen glanced back to the junction and saw that Para’s associates had already disarmed Sir Maldan through hand to hand fighting, as she and her men were not armed, and were shuffling the still struggling Sir Maldan back up his tunnel.

Emil and Ewen retraced their steps and arrived back in the empty common room of the building next door to the Spurs.

“This is good-bye Sir Ewen as we will never see each other again,” Emil says as Ewen exits the building. Ewen said nothing, and noticed the man at the end of the alley was gone and that about an hour had passed since he entered the building. He set off for home now knowing why Para said she’d send an expendable guide.

At the Spurs Imarë and Bevan were still having drinks. They noticed that about 20 minutes after the pair received their first drink, Halime, who was there when they came in, was now serving drinks behind the bar. Finally, about midnight, the pair head home correctly assuming that the meeting had concluded and Ewen, as not to draw suspicion to the Spurs, had gone directly home.

8 Nolus 731

During breakfast, Ewen recalls last night’s activities to the others. It is agreed that Ewen was in the town’s water supply tunnels, and Imarë pulls out a map to try to pinpoint the exact location of the convergence of the tunnels. Bevan looks at the map to find all the wells, hoping that this will give them a clue as to where the other entrances are. The thought being that if the party could find the entrances, perhaps they could use them as meeting places, safe travel routes, or even an escape route if one tunnel lead out of the city gates. Finally the discussion turns away from possible entrances and a lull descends. Imarë clears her throat and looks around the table.

“We can assume that last night’s showing accomplished three things.” The others look at her while she gathers her thoughts. “The first, is that Sir Maldan has been shown that Osel is alive and we can produce him. The second is that Osel knows enough of his attack to implicate Maldan. And the third, was that he was bested quickly and efficiently by our allies, who, unlike him, seemed unarmed.” The group pauses a moment to take pleasure in the third fact. After a moment the elf continues, “this doesn’t mean we can let our guard down.” Everyone agrees and Ewen says that they should find out about alliances between the nobles, meaning not only the Earls, but the lesser nobles as well. It is suggested that Bevan go and pay a visit to Sir Ilken and Kaelyn pay another visit to Astarock. As Bevan and Sir Ilken are friends, there is no need to come up with a reason to visit him, Astarock on the other hand is another matter. After a few minutes of discussion it is decided that Kaelyn, along with Bevan, goes to Astarock on the pretense of asking where she could locate a copy of the book “A Concordance of Genin.”

After breakfast Bevan and Kaelyn head off to visit Sir Ilken. As they walk towards Tharda House, Bevan explains that normally Sir Ilken would not be in residence in Tashal during the summer, but since the Baron of Stimos has come to Tashal, Sir Ilken has to stay.

The pair is greeted at the door by Mrs. Baum, the housekeeper. She is pleased to see Bevan and ushers them in. Mrs. Baum explains that the Baron is not here but attending court at the castle as he does everyday. Bevan assures her that it is quite alright, that they had come to see Sir Iken and is he in. Mrs. Baum says that he is and leads the ladies to a sitting room. As they walk, Kaelyn notices that there is very little metal both in the house and in its construction. Instead of metal nails, there are wooden dowels, and instead of metal candle holders, there are sconces made out of wood. Kaelyn is mostly impressed with the clever use of the wooden dowels and dove-tailed pieces of wood holding everything together, as her father is a woodcrafter. While, she has no interest in her father’s business, she knows how much work it entails to get everything just right. In addition to the elaborate woodwork and lack of metal, there are plants everywhere.

When they enter the sitting room, Sir Ilken is already there and immediately comes over and gives Bevan a big hug. Before Mrs. Baum leaves the room, Sir Ilken asks if Bevan and Kaelyn would like anything to eat. They decline, but ask for tea if it isn’t too much trouble. Mrs. Baum departs and soon comes back with tea and some cookies for them to nibble on. Sir Ilken serves the tea while complaining to Bevan that she hasn’t come to visit more as he’s been bored being stuck in Tashal for the summer with the Baron. Bevan tells him that she has been busier than she expected. She asks if he really has been stuck here all summer. Ilken replies that he has flown out to visit the Kath once or twice. Seeing Kaelyn’s confused look, Bevan explains why Sir Ilken is also referred to as “Crow.” Ilken shrugs and merely replies that it’s a useful ability to have. The trio chit-chat about trivial things for a while before Bevan asks about Sir Maldan Harabor. Sir Ilken appears to be a little surprised by the question and sits a moment before answering. He feels that Sir Maldan is a schemer, which confirms the party’s opinion of him.

“Before he took the throne, when King Haldan married his wife, he took an oath that he would not seek the throne nor would any children that came of that marriage be eligible for the throne. This of course sent the entire country in a scramble to position themselves as the next candidate for the throne.”

Bevan looks at Sir Ilken with a surprised look on her face and asks, “Why did he take that oath?”

“Because Queen Hesena was not a Laranian. She worships Save-K’nor.”

At this news, Kaelyn is slightly offended as she worships Save-K’nor, she’s not all that pious, but still worships that god all the same. “What is wrong with worshiping Save-K’nor?”

“Nothing – unless you’re a member of Kaldor’s royal family. As I was saying, when the Haldan took that oath, it put the throne in play. Many of the nobles wanted it. The biggest contenders for the throne were Lady Cheselyne Hosath, the granddaughter of King Torastra, Orsin Firith, the current Baron of Kobe, and of course Sir Maldan Harabor, the bastard son of King Miginath. There were others with lesser claims.”

“It wasn’t until Haldan took the throne that it became known that he’d managed to get the oath nullified. That made many of the nobles very unhappy as you can imagine.” Sir Ilken paused at this point to pour himself some more tea. He then went on to describe Maldan’s neighbor, the Earl of Neph. It seems that the sheriff and the Earl are, while not friendly to each other, they tolerate each other. The Earl’s nickname is the Lion of North, though whether that is due to his large jowls or large paunch, Sir Ilken wasn’t sure. The Earl holds the reputation of being an epicurean.

Sir Maldan’s family, the Harabors, is made up of many burghers, who have a great deal of influence in Kaldor. The family seems to have its fingers in many pies at once, from guild-masters to major players in the wool-trade.

Seeing that is all Sir Ilken knows about Sir Maldan, Bevan switches the subject to other gossip. Sir Ilken informs that the Baron has a new girlfriend named Para something-or-other. Bevan and Kaelyn somehow manage a surprised face while saying ‘oh, really? Who’s that? I don’t think I’ve heard of her.’ and so forth. Sir Ilken drops the subject of the Baron’s girlfriend to complain that the man is so boring and spends everyday at court. The only interesting news the Baron has brought home is that the Earl of Vemion and his daughters are coming to Tashal. It seems that the last time the Earl has been in Tashal was at least five year ago.. The Countess of Vemion will not be coming as she is ill and will be left at a temple of Peoni along the way. Sir Ilken goes on to say that one of the Earl’s daughters is Thilisa, the Countess of Osel, which we no doubt knew, but the other, the youngest, has never married despite the fact that she is quite past marriageable age.

Sir Ilken leans forward in his seat and looks around. “Mrs. Baum?!” he bellows, “Mrs. Baum?!” Ilken, satisfied that the housekeeper isn’t listening at the door, gives Bevan a conspiratorial look.

“I have some interesting news from home, which comes from the Baron. It seems that Geldeheim fell late last month. King Arren II now controls the castle. I’m also quite certain that King Haldan doesn’t even know this.”

Bevan and Kaelyn look at each other, stunned of the implication of this news.

“How did you hear about this?” Bevan asks.

“Oh,” Sir Ilken begins slyly, “a little bird told me.” At this jape, both ladies begin to laugh; shaking off their stunned mood. Ilken leans back in his chair and mentions that the Lord Marshal’s position is still vacant in Kaldor. It seems that the position is going to remain vacant, as Kaldor has been at peace for some time. There are actually no obvious generals in Kaldor. Instead, King Haldan leads everything himself, unlike King Arren, who delegates some responsibility to his generals. Bevan, upon hearing this, asks if there are any other representatives from other countries here. Sir Ilken says that the Melderyn has a house in the Haldana portion of town. He believes that the ambassador, if that’s correct, is a noblewoman but he is not sure. Ilken knows that her name is Bresyn Risi, and that she keeps to herself quite often. Ilken is not sure where she is from in Melderyn, but has an accent similar to Kaelyn’s.

At this point it is getting rather late, and Bevan and Kaelyn say their good-byes and head to home to Gray House, saving the trip to Astarock for another day.

Back at Gray House, they inform Ewen and Imarë of what Sir Ilken had told them. Upon hearing that the Lord Marshal’s position was still vacant, and that King Haldan has no intention of filling it remarked ‘which maybe the reason why Tharda is growing and Kaldor cares so much about color.’ Everyone agreed that was a probably a good reason of why Kaldor is a socially stagnant country.

Around the dinner hour, a servant comes into the hall with a message for Sir Ewen. Ewen opens the message and reads:

“I believe you. What are the next steps? M.”

The servant who delivered the message had already departed, indicating that a return message wasn’t expected immediately. Ewen hands the message to the rest of the party, thinking of a reply. After a few moments, Ewen suggests that a reply message should be sent immediately. This would show Maldan that the party has everything under control and last night’s meeting was exactly what Ewen had planned. The others agree and after a quick discussion the reply message reads: “See you in Olokand. Continue your part. Ravinargh. “ A servant is sent of to Worton Harabor’s house with the message.

9 Nolus 731

During breakfast, Sir Ewen decides to inform Kaelyn a little bit of his past and heritage. Kaelyn, having already accepted the fact that Imarë was an elf and Sir Ilken could turn into a crow, simply smiled and nodded at Ewen when he informed her that he was part Deryni and went on with eating breakfast.

After breakfast, when the rest of the party was resting in Gray House, Ewen sets off to go shopping for a seal that reflects his fairly new status. He finds a vendor fairly quickly and is informed that the seal would be ready on the 20th. The price was originally set at 72d, but Ewen made the mistake of asking if they needed to check the registry, perhaps thinking that the seal would be ready sooner. After a quick check showed that Sir Ewen was not in the registry so the price was then raised to 96d.

The rest of the day was spent peacefully.

10 Nolus 731

The party spent the day catching up on little household tasks, and in the case of the two knights, practicing for the tournament.

That evening as the time approached for the meeting with Owain, Imarë asked who was going to accompany her to the meeting and if she should even go. Everyone agreed that the meeting might prove to be valuable and since nothing else was planned for the night the entire party would go. The exception being Sir Baris who was serving penance at the temple of Peoni for treatment of his gout. The party had learned that Sir Baris’s penance was to perform the various odd jobs that had originally been done Digger before his disappearance.

At the Spurs the entire party sits at its own table enjoying a few ales. It isn’t long until Owain comes over, once again carrying his own ale. “Well, I see you decided to come after all and you’ve brought the whole motley crew. Ah well, the more the merrier I say. Since it wouldn’t be prudent to show you what I got down here, why don’t we go someplace more private.” Owain stands up and begins to make his way to the stairs. When Owain and party reached the top of the stairs they see a long corridor with a lot of doors. Owain turns to the first door on the left. “Hello? Is anybody in there?” he asks as he opens the door and moves into the room. While the party cautiously enters the spartan room, Owain is already sitting on the bed; pulling out various packets from his pockets. He stands and makes a large production of unwrapping the packets and arranging the jewelry that the packets produced. There were two necklaces made of gold, one with an emerald like stone and the other with a sapphire. There were three anklets (or torques depending on your point of view), one gold with diamonds arranged around it, one gold inlaid, and the third was silver with inlaid ivory. The final item was large ring with, what Imarë thought, a six carat yellow topaz stone in the center. All the pieces of jewelry were finely crafted and worth at least double of Owain’s asking price. Imarë carefully asks questions of the jewelry’s worth and where they came from. Owain replied that yes, they were worth double of what he was asking, and they were just pieces of merchandise he picked up here and there, that he was holding on to for just the right buyer. During this exchange Sir Ewen truth read Owain and found he was telling the truth in all his claims except where the jewelry came from. Owain prattled on for a while; trying to engage the party to haggle and buy the jewelry. At one point, Sir Ewen whispered to the group, “Do you think we should kill him and take the jewelry?” The group thought about this a moment, and decided not yet as Owain was a little too confident for just one man in a room with a bunch of strangers.

Finally, Owain stopped talking and sighed, “You are all no fun. None of you want to play.” This startled the group, as none of them were thinking of this meeting as a game.

“Oh all right, since you won’t play, I’ll just tell you. Para sent me. As you hinted at, yes, these pieces are stolen, but none of them come from anywhere near Tashal. Do you think that Para would embarrass you?” He then rattled off where each piece came from. “I thought I could make a little profit, but no. I was told to sell these to you at a third of what they are worth.”

Upon hearing Para’s name the party immediately became interested in the jewelry. After much discussion, it was decided that they would buy all the jewelry. Bevan purchased the large topaz ring and the anklet with the diamonds for a total of 12,600d. Imarë bought the two necklaces for 8,000d. Kaelyn bought the silver anklet inlaid with ivory for 600d, and Ewen, with all the other pieces bought, purchased the plain gold anklet at 4,800d.

As the party wrapped up their new purchases, Owain made a small bow to the party and said, “Pleasure doing business with you. I should warn you, that the next time we do business nothing will be on sale.” He then slipped out of the room leaving the party happy that they didn’t kill him. The party departed for home a few minutes later.

11 Nolus, 731

Bevan and Kaelyn pay a visit to Astarock. Since they brought sweet cakes from the market, he was happy to see them, and proved helpful with the book Kaelyn wanted. He told her that a copy of the book could be found at the chantry of Arcane Lore next door. They then discussed a couple finer points of study outside of the academy and the newest gossip in Tashal. Astarock didn’t add anything new to what Sir Ilken had mentioned. Astarock did say that the Earl of Vemion and Thilisa of Osel would arrive in Tashal on the 27th of Nolus. The ladies stayed a few minutes more before Astarock decided it was time for his nap. The ladies went to the Arcane Lore building and picked up the book for Kaelyn before heading home.

The next two weeks passed by uneventfully, with the knights preparing for the tournament and Sir Baris still working at the temple of Peoni. At one point Sir Ewen went to visit Elsa at the Busted Nut and found that she had insinuated herself quite well in Tashal. She had found a lot independence in her new position and Ewen regretfully realized that she was no longer a useful ‘possession’ of his but was now a possible useful contact later. Ewen wished Elsa well.

26 Nolus, 731

When the party sat down for breakfast that morning a member of the party mentioned that it was strange that they had received no more invitations to parties in Tashal. One of Bevan’s serving maids overhearing this comment, stops what she was doing, timidly approaches Bevan. A whispered conversation follows and Bevan turns back to the group. The news that the maid told Bevan was that there was a party last night thrown by the Earl of Balim and the party was deliberately left off the guest list. The gossip the servants heard is that the party was rather short-lived and many of the guests complained that the elf wasn’t there. All in all the party was deemed a flop.

Later that afternoon a message arrives addressed to the occupants of Gray House. It is an invitation for a dinner that will be held on the 27th welcoming the arrival of the Earl of Vemion. It was signed by the Steward of the House of Caldeth with a post-script for the invitees to ‘bring the elf.’ The invitation sends the party into a flurry of discussion. The first being, what the ladies should wear. After a few moments the ladies realized that it was too late in the day to go and purchase new attire and so will wear what they wore to the Harabor party as the Burghers’ in attendance there would most likely not be attendance at a party for the Earl. As soon as that crucial detail was established the talk turned on how to approach Thilisa, as they need to establish a pseudo-friendship with her to keep her away from the King at the tournament in order for all their hard work to pay off. It is decided that Bevan would be the one to approach Thilisa. Bevan would play the part of another intelligent woman suffering under the shadow of an important father and other relations. The party agrees that this should be ‘a breath of fresh air’ to Thilisa as Bevan would come across as vivacious, witty, and not a toady that would normally attach herself to persons of high rank.

27 Nolus, 731

The day of dinner at the Earl of Vemion’s house arrives. The party takes small pains to ensure that they are looking their best as first impressions are often the most important. The party departs in the early evening for the dinner not wanting to be late nor arriving too early. Only four members of the group will be attending the dinner as Baris feels too tired from his work at the temple of Peoni to attend and Bevan decides that Dascomb should remain home too. As the group approaches the gate they see armed footman checking the invitations of the guests. Imarë hands over their invitation when it is the groups turn at the gate. They are told to go up the outside staircase to the second floor. On the second floor there is another pair of armed footmen checking invitations and a man who, after the party is checked again, announces the group to the hall. The hall itself is an antechamber that spans the width of the house and is about 15 feet deep. There are lots of people milling around engaging in small chit-chat. There is also a small pack of wolf hounds wandering around. In the midst of all the conversations and dogs there is a tall gaunt man who is trying desperately to direct the party goers. The party approaches the man, who they deduce is the Earl of Vemion, and Bevan introduces the group as the doorman’s voice doesn’t travel well over the buzz of conversation. When Imarë is introduced, the Earl takes her arm and shout, “Thilisa! The elf is here.” At this announcement a woman, apparently Thilisa of Osel appears and whisks the elf off. The Earl then turns to hear the rest of introductions before turning his attention to the next group of people who have drifted over to greet the Earl. The party notices that Vemion is uncomfortable in his role as host and perhaps his wife, who is noticeably absent, usually takes care of such dinner engagements. The group begins to walk away from the Earl, taking in the details of the house. Past the antechamber, behind curtains there is a large great hall, with a dais at one end and two rows of tables flanking the wall. Behind the dais there is a large tapestry adorning the wall. The tapestry depicts the capture of a rather large, flat castle. On each wall there are two large windows about seven feet tall. The hall itself is white-washed, a rather rare thing, with the trim painted blue. As the group takes in the setting of the great hall, they notice a few people they recognize in attendance, the most familiar face being Sir Maldan. They also see Lady Cheselyne Hosath near the dais, the Earl of Balim and his son Scina Daruine and his wife the Princess Erlene are also present. They also note the Lady Peresta in attendance with her dinner companion from the Bell. Sir Ewen notices that the young man’s boots still have traces of dust on them. At this point Sir Ewen tries to use his Deryni senses to locate any other Deryni in attendance, but he finds no other Deryni presence.

Still in the antechamber, Imarë finds herself being the first person of contact instead of Bevan as planned. Unfortunately, Imarë’s contact with Thilisa is brief as she, Thilisa, has serious doubts about the authenticity of the elf and is not at all impressed. After a few brief pleasantries, Thilisa leaves the elf and moves on to other guests. Imarë moves on into the great hall to find her friends. After finding them seated near the lower end of the tables, she informs them of her brief encounter with Thilisa. As the group chats, Lady Cheselyne comes over to greet them in her usual extravagant way. Sir Maldan on the other hand, ignores the party. Soon it seems that all the guests have arrived and dinner is served. The whole affair, while being rather sedate, is very opulent. The dinner itself, is a wide array of roasts, pies, cheeses and other imported food. The group being near the end of the table, does not receive the choicest portions of food, but the portions left to them are still of very high quality. At the far end of the hall, on the dais, the Earl of Vemion is seated in the center chair with Thilisa on his right and the Earl of Balim on his left. Lady Cheselyne is also seated on the dais to the left of the Earl of Balim. After dessert is served some of the guests begin to mingle. The party sees Sir Maldan speak to Lady Cheselyne, but the duo is too far away for anyone to hear what they are saying. It is then agreed by the party that this would be a good time for Bevan to attempt to speak with Thilisa. Bevan walks to the dais, where she addresses the Earl of Vemion.

“My lord, I would like to thank you for your gracious invitation for dinner this evening.”

The Earl looks at Bevan. “Thank you,” the Earl pauses a moment to think, “You’re the daughter of that charlatan Theron Palliser, aren’t you?”

“My father is Theron Palliser,” Bevan replies carefully.

“How is he?”

“He’s fine, my lord. He currently living in Coranan.”

“Isn’t that a capital of some sort? What is he doing there?”

“Yes, my lord, it is a capital of Tharda. My father is doing some work for the government there.”

“Oh. What are you doing here?”

“I am visiting Tashal with friends; one of them is Imarë, the elf, my lord.”

“You seem to prefer the company of charlatans; first your father, now that elf.” As the Earl finished speaking, he turns his back on Bevan as an indication that she is dismissed. Bevan is amazed – she hasn’t ever been so snubbed, the action signifying that a person of the great nobility has determined a person with less rank has overstepped themselves. As Bevan recovers from her shock, she glances at Thilisa to see her reaction to this move. Unfortunately, the countess’s face is unreadable.

Bevan makes her way back to the party and quickly informs them of what transpired. The party is as shocked and outraged as Bevan is. It seems that Kaldor is even more socially stagnant than the party first thought. Only the nobility of a country so socially isolated would still think that gesture was appropriate. At this point Imarë decides that now would be a good time to recite some elfin poetry, as suggested by Thilisa in their earlier conversation. Bevan and Ewen suggest that Imarë not approach the Earl or his daughter, but go and speak with Lady Cheselyne first. The lady was still situated near the dais, so Imarë would have center stage (so to speak). Lady Cheselyne is delighted that the elf came over to speak with her and is even more enamored by the thought of ‘elfin poetry’ and soon has everyone’s attention. Imarë, not having to speak in front of such a large crowd in quite some time, is slightly flustered; but as no one in attendance understands Sindarin, Imarë’s native language, no one notices. Imarë holds the crowd’s rapt attention for the first 15-20 minutes, but as Imarë’s poem begins to approach the hour mark, the audience grows restless. Finally, it dawns on the Earl that the elf isn’t going to stop speaking and he should do something about the situation. As Imarë pauses a moment in her speech, the Earl of Vemion breaks in clapping, thanking the elf loudly as if to signal that the poem is now over. The rest of the dinner guests join in the applause and the volume of conversation soon rises. Imarë returns to the party, where she is congratulated by her friends. The party decides that it is time to leave, but before they leave the great hall the Countess of Osel comes over.

“You certainly can talk for a long time in that language.”

“Of course, it is my native tongue.”

“Of course,” Thilisa replies with a slight smile. “I wasn’t going to invite you as I hold no stock in the current social trends but your speech was … impressive. I am holding a mask ball tomorrow night. Consider yourself and your friends invited.”

Imarë thanks Thilisa before the countess walks away. The party heads for home, happy that they managed to get Thilisa’s attention at least.

28 Nolus, 731

During breakfast, the party goes over the events of last night and their plans for the day. (Once, again Sir Baris was absent.)The party, having nothing urgent to attend to until the masked ball that evening, decides to go shopping for the masks immediately after breakfast. They have good luck and find the perfect masks at the second vendor they stopped at. The masks were flamboyant and finely crafted. The party spent the rest of the day practicing their dance steps.

That evening the party, dressed in masks, make their way to Osel House where the masked ball was to be held. As the party enters the great hall, they notice it is slightly larger than Vemion House. The tables that would normally be in hall were removed with just a few sitting off to the side. These tables were filled with food that could be eaten easily with fingers. Towards the far end of the hall, where a dais would be, a band of musicians was setting up. It was clear that this evening was all about dancing. Sir Ewen scans the room from Deryni presence, but again finds nothing. Soon the band began to play and everyone took their position on the dance floor. The first dance was a traditional sequence dance. Thankfully, the gods decided to be kind and all members of the group made no mistakes in their dance and in fact all four of the party danced well. During the first dance, Ewen and Imarë noticed a new-comer to the party step in and take the place of a man in the first row of dancers near their hostess. After a few hours of dancing the ball ends and the party returns home.

29 Nolus, 731

The next morning the party discusses the mystery man and speculate that the new-comer may have been King Haldan. Someone points out that it would be the perfect opportunity for the King to get near Thilisa without arousing suspicion from his wife or gossip from the rest of the country.