Session One Hundred and Seventeen - February 7, 2015

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Session One Hundred and Seventeen - February 7, 2015

Postby Matt » Tue May 12, 2015 11:40 am

Azura 1, 732

The month of Azura begins in typical Harnic fashion; the weather cold and the sky overcast with no precipitation.

Kaelyn rises early to attempt the final step of mastering a new spell. She successfully casts the spell, but causes an immense amount of fatigue. She returns to bed and does not rise until the next day.

The breakfast meeting continues without her and Sotor, who is busy doing an inventory of his new house and lab.

Ewen is curious about what Thilisa is doing and privately makes plans to clairvoy her later.

Aeomund is convinced the owl Cekiya saw earlier is a spy, and speaking of spies, isn’t it a bit odd that there is a Shek-Pvar in the House of Courtesans? None of the others at the table think it is that odd, so the conversation drifts to a way to communicate with Ewen’s holdings, both legitimate and other. Aeomund suggests a pigeon message system from Tashal to Ternua to Varayne. He spends the rest of breakfast working out a few logistics.

Ewen does not think this is a bad idea and will ask Sotor to devise a code. After breakfast he sends Cekiya to summon Sotor to him. After she speaks with Sotor, she is to continue on to watch the castle and as Ewen tells her: ‘go, be a gargoyle.’

Cekiya departs after breakfast to Sotor’s to tell him to visit Ewen.

‘Ah, Cekiya, I don’t remember letting you in,’ Sotor says after finding that he has a visitor in his new lab.

‘I know my way around. You need to go see Ewen about secret pigeons.’

‘Of course, at once.’ He says and looks at Cekiya expecting her to leave. They stare at each other for a while until Sotor blinks and then Cekiya turns to leave.

Cekiya wanders over to Kald square and, next to the wall at the college of heralds; she takes a moment to survey her surroundings. If anyone had been watching they would have seen a slight girl walk over to a tree, and between moment of the passing crowd and the next would find her gone. If the person was observant they would have noticed that the slight girl was a few branches up the tree.

Baris and Aeomund decide that they should go visit Balim House and pay their respects, and visit with the falconer about pigeons. They reach the conclusion that they should bring a gift for the now motherless scion of Scina. They walk over to Weavertown to the toymaker there. There is one man working in the shop full of wooden toys.

The man, with a pipe in his mouth, squints at the two knights, ‘Children?’

‘Not quite, no.’ says Aeomund.

‘Master toymaker, we need your advice about an appropriate toy to give a child of rank who has just lost his mother.’ Baris says.

‘A child whose mother has passed? – the poor little thing. I have this happy clown puppet.’

Aeomund takes a look at the figurine in question and sees a tear falling from its eye, ‘What about toy soldier sets?’

‘Yes, yes ...’ he rummages around and produces four knights about two inches tall.

Aeomund nods in approval, ‘Do you have any wooden balls?’

‘I have this stuffed pig’s bladder.’

‘I’ll take it.’

‘It’s a thruppance a knight and I’ll throw in the bladder as a condolence gift.’

The two knights, parcel in Baris’s hand, make their way over to Balim house.

‘We have come to call upon Lord Scina; in this troubling time to offer our condolences, if he is available,’ Aeomund says to the guards at the gate.

‘Sirs Baris and Aeomund, yes? I am afraid they are not in residence.’ The guard responds.

‘They have left for Kiban?’

‘I couldn’t say. They don’t inform me of where they are going when they leave.’

‘I would like to leave this package, along with a note.’

‘I will see that the Lady Donesyn gets it and she will pass it on.’

As long as we’re here, I would like to speak to the falconer,’ Baris says as Aeomund takes the toys and passes them over to the guard.

‘Tromath is around back, go on in.’

Baris and Aeomund go around back and find Tromath giving instructions to the fledglings on how to catch a rabbit.

‘Tromath!’ Baris calls out in greeting.

‘A pleasure to see you Sir Baris, would you like to watch?’ Without waiting for an answer, he releases the falcon. The fledgling dives and misses. The falcon returns to the glove. ‘He just can’t get the hang of it. The kittens were too fast … maybe I need to drug a rat.’

Then, ‘Oh! Sir Baris!’ Tromoth’s face lights up, ‘I spoke to her!’

‘Did she speak back?’

‘She told me she would take a delivery of milk anytime I care to bring it by. I told her I was a dairy farmer. I got a little tongue-tied.’

‘That’s ok. Go get a jug of milk and go over and talk to her.’

‘Actually deliver milk as a ruse to talk to her again? Sir Baris that is bloody brilliant. Your knowledge of women is unparalleled.’

*Cough* ‘Pigeons’ Aeomund reminds Baris.

‘Oh by the way, we are looking for pigeon messengers for Sir Ewen’s lands and were wondering if you know of anyone.’

Tromath, eyeing a bucket nearby as if gauging how much milk it would hold, replies, ‘I might know a guy. How many do you need?’

‘Twelve,’ Aeomund says.

‘You might need a few extra, in case of, you know.’

‘Twenty four.’ Aeomund corrects.

‘Ok I’ll take care of it. I owe you. You’re not in a big rush, right? It can take a few weeks.’

‘No, not that big of a rush. How much?’

‘I’ll let you know.’

‘Stop by the Elf and Dwarf and leave word there for me.’

‘Oh, I like it there.’

‘Thanks!’ Baris says with proprietor’s pride, ‘Good luck with Molly.’

After Aeomund and Baris had left for their morning errands, Ewen sits upstairs in his locked study and prepares to clear his mind. He successfully trances but when he begins the process of clairvoyance, something goes wrong and he passes out.

Sotor arrives mid-morning, after taking the time to clean up and put away the notes he was reviewing when Cekiya dropped in away. Walin answers the door, but doesn’t think anyone is home but a sleeping Kaelyn. Sotor indicates he would like to check the study anyway as he was sent for.

‘Sir Ewen! Sir Ewen?!’ Sotor calls and knocks on the locked door. He waits a few mintues but there is no noise from inside. Sotor, now very annoyed, leaves a terse note for Ewen with Walin. Morning disrupted, Sotor decides to head to the Guild of Arcane Lore to see if anyone there has any clue about where to hire servants for his new abode.

Cekiya still sits in the tree. She doesn’t see her quarry the Prince, or any other Royal. She sees a few notables, but nothing remarkable. After a while a guard comes over from the castle gate, ‘Excuse me, but do you have a moment?’

‘I have many moments, but I am using them.’

‘Of course, but this will only take one moment, just to settle a bet.’

Cekiya cocks her head as if thinking of the request, eyes never stopping the scan of the area, ‘Ok, you may have one of my moments.’

‘Will you be coming down to answer the call of nature?’

In a concerned voice Cekiya answers, ‘Trees don’t talk, sir. Are you ok?’

‘So … the answer is no.’ the guard nods.

‘The entire question makes no sense.’

‘Let me phrase it again, will you be coming down anytime soon?’

‘I will have to come down, but soon depends on many things.’

‘This is not working,’ the guard mutters to himself, ‘How long do you plan to stay up there?’

‘Until I need to go down.’

‘Ok, thank you.’ The guard returns to his post and tells the others of the conversation. Cekiya notices a few pieces of coin changing hands.

Late in the night Ewen wakes up with a headache, he is not sure it is from the failed clairvoy attempt or when his head hit the ground. He goes downstairs for a snack, where Walin finds him and gives him the message from Sotor. Ewen reads the note and informs Walin that next time, he is to let Sotor in the study.

Azura 2, 732

After breakfast and listening to Aeomund expand on his theory that the owl is a familiar and a spy and should be killed immediately, Kaelyn agrees to go and check the owl for any magic aura. She returns to her room briefly and reattaches her focus. She ascends to the fourth floor, which leads to confusion among the Thardan lads.

‘Something we can do for you mistress?’

‘No, I am just going to see this owl I have heard about.’

‘Do you need an escort?’

‘Do you think the owl will cause damage to me?’

‘No …’

‘Then continue dicing, I’ll be fine.’

She steps into the storage room and pauses for her eyes to adjust. She can hear the owl before she can see it. It is at the far end of the room. As Kaelyn walks closer to it, the owl swivels his head to look at Kaelyn and then swivels it back away.

Kaelyn takes a breath and speaks the words to the spell to detect dweomer. She fails her first attempt due to an ill-timed sneeze. The owl has turned around on his perch and is, in Kaelyn’s opinion, looking at her weirdly. She tries again and soon the owl is lit up in a faint glow – Aeomund was right. While not as bad as Baris being right, it still irks Kaelyn, because that means she was wrong and her response may have been a tad in the extreme side because of that. Kaelyn quickly casts another spell, more quietly this time, and an orb of ethereal water flies from her hand, encasing the owl. She looks at the slowly drowning owl, and realizes that she is only armed with her dagger, and a longer weapon would be preferred to dispatch the owl … in a more humane way, of course.

‘Guards!’ Kaelyn says raising her voice. She had heard the tell-tale sounds of the guards listening just outside the door after her first attempt at the spell.

They come bustling in with no delay.

‘Kill that.’ Kaelyn points to the trapped owl.

One of the guards gives her a funny look but reaches up and skewers the owl with his sword.

Kaelyn nods and smiles, ‘If another shows up here, let me know. Do you know how long that was here?’

‘We couldn’t say. We noticed three or four days ago,’ Potelc says.

Kaelyn returns downstairs to tell Ewen about the owl.

Aeomund, after breakfast decides that a ride to Querina is in order. He sends a note to Lady Serli if she would like to join him for the ride. The note is a bit of wandering prose, most definitely not his best work.

Sotor spends the day back at his evil lab … err house, cataloging notes and equipment.

Ewen attempts once again to check on Thilisa. He trances and then in one breath sees nothing and the next sees his wife. He cannot hear what she is saying, but he watches and continues with her as she takes a stroll through the courtyard of Varayne. She is with someone but as she doesn’t turn to look at that person, Ewen cannot tell who it is. All that Ewen can tell is that the person with Thilisa is not Sir Rollard and that the person is wearing mail. Thilisa walks with her hand on her belly as she exits the gatehouse. The visitor allows Thilisa to go first, after she walks through she turns and looks back, the visitor is Sir Andro Valador. Ewen’s vision of Thilisa ends.

He rises and checks his notes for the next rotation schedule to Varayne. Ewen finds that the rotation is every fifteen days and has just occurred. He then pens a note to Lady Afaewynn about Thilisa’s meetings and other events that are happening in his absence. He specifically asks about when Sir Andro was there. He decides to send a small gift of a black rose to Thilisa when he sends the note to Lady A.

This about the time Kaelyn comes down to tell him about the owl. He sends Kaelyn to Cekiya to tell her to get the rose.

Kaelyn goes to where Cekiya has been perched all night. The bets are getting larger and there have been some arguments as to whether or not she actually left the tree during the night. Kaelyn looks up at the tree, ‘It’s time to come down. Sir Ewen has a job for you. Get a black rose from the fat Earl’s house. Be sneaky and let no one see you.’ Message delivered, Kaelyn leaves Cekiya in the tree and walks away.

Cekiya smiles a smile that no one sees. She watches the traffic until she deems it right, and slips down away from the tree. None of the Guards notice.

She waits until dark and then slinks off to the Earl of Neph’s house. She slips through the secret door in the former Danyes Bernan house, and sees lights on but does not approach closer to see who is now living there. She glides through the yard and past the trees to the wall of Neph’s house near the rose garden. She slips over the wall and sees the lights on at the Earl’s house. Pulling a small dagger she cuts a bloom. She glides back over the wall and leaves without a sound or a trace the way she came, and delivers her prize to Raven Hall.

Azura 3, 732

Notes and roses are sent. A note from Lady Serli is received, thanking Aeomund for the offer, but she must decline for reasons of health what with the cold rain coming down. The rain suits Aeomund’s miserable mood and he mutters to himself the entire way.

Baris, taking a cue of courting from Aeomund, decides to send a letter to Meleine. It doesn’t go well at all and accepting that there things he is not good at, Baris heads over to Sotor’s new house to enlist the learned man’s help.

‘Sir Baris! Welcome. I can’t offer anything, as I don’t have a housekeeper yet.’

‘Hello Sotor, Thank you. I have brought my own,’ Baris produces a flask. ‘I need your help writing a missive. My talents lay to war not pen.’

‘Of course, to whom are you writing?’

‘Lady Meleine.’ Baris replies as this solves all questions.

‘This is a diplomatic letter then?’

‘A letter of the heart. Sotor, she is so hot!’

‘I have performed this service before. Is this a lady of the court or of the night?’

‘Of the court; She is Meden Curo’s sister.’

‘Well, what do you know of her? Her hobbies? Interests?’

‘She’s hot.’ Baris replies, after a moment’s thought he adds, ‘Oh and she’s a Curo.’

‘So she is educated? Well certain assumptions can be mentioned.’

‘She’s the one that Prince Brandis … well maybe we shouldn’t mention that.’

‘I will write it, but it may take a few weeks to get it right. Is the other prince in the ground yet?’

Baris stops to think, not about the funeral for the young prince but about Sotor’s timeline, ‘I’ve got move fairly fast here, and she really wasn’t promised to him anyway.’

Sotor takes a deep breath, ‘Have you at least spoken to the Lady?’

‘Oh yes, after Prince Bran … after you know. I asked if she was ok.’

‘Then the initial sally to the siege of her heart was done. Did you offer your undying devotion and introduce yourself to her at the time?’

‘I was supposed to do that? Do you think it would have worked? I really am not good with wooing noble women.’

‘You have to go all in.’

‘I do that!’ Baris says happily, and then remembers the time he was slapped by Lady Ygrena at Aerth Manor.

‘I will begin at once. Go to the marketplace and get some good parchment and a nice perfume for the final letter.’

‘Perfume?’

‘Forget that, just go get good parchment. Good vellum. Can you remember that word?’

‘Vellum.’ Baris says and leaves Sotor to his work. Baris manages to find a good quality parchment for eight pence not long after. Unfortunately, Baris cannot get his mind off of perfume and the letter and perfume for the letter and is up all night tossing and turning with worry.

Sotor drafts the letter that afternoon, but his prose is slightly stilted and decides to revisit it in the morning.


Aeomund makes his way to Querina alone. He passes though the various manors along the way and arrives safely, if a little wet. The royal keep of Querina is held by the Sheriff of Semethshire and Aeomund informs the keep of his presence and his purpose of the visit. He asks if the sheriff is available to meet. Aeomund is told that the sheriff, Sir Roloth Delwarne is not present as he is out making one of the regular patrols. The guards left behind cannot give Aeomund permission to enter the keep to continue his work on the fortifications of Kaldor, but he is welcome to stay a few days in the town to wait for Sir Roloth. Aeomund declines. He leaves a note for the sheriff and makes a few observations of the outside of the keep. He believes that the keep was once a hunting preserve with the settlement of Querina coming before the keep. He notices that the guards are not lax in their duties makes a few sketches and measurements under their watchful eye, and then departs for Tashal in the afternoon.

Back at Raven Hall, a messenger from Dickon arrives. He is shown into the study and to Ewen, as the message is verbal and not written.

The messenger salutes Ewen and delivers his message, ‘Captain bid me deliver a message on the last day of Agrazhar past. A large military force passed through Ternua from the south. It did not proceed up the Genin trail. It turned North-east along the Nephen. At least three companies along with mounted troops.’

‘Did you see any heraldic arms?’

‘No sir.’

‘It was headed towards Esenor?’

‘I don’t know, sir.’

‘Commend the captain for his vigilance and continue to report the movements.’ Ewen then proceeds to give the messenger instructions for Dickon should there be any future movements. He notices that the messenger looks uncomfortable, and bids him to speak.

‘I was told to tell you, if you mentioned those instructions, “We couldn’t have held Ternua against the army.”’

‘Then I will send the Blue Boars to reinforce your numbers.’ Ewen says, dismissing the messenger.

Azura 4, 732

After a brief revision of the missive to Lady Meleine, Sotor sends the letter off.

There is a breakfast meeting and a debate about whether to tell Prehil about Curo about the troops. Nothing was decided. Ewen sets up a meeting with the Baron Stimos at Galopea’s feast to learn any news from the keep.

That evening at Galopea’s feast, Stimos gives Ewen the news of no news. There has been no court, the King has not been seen and Brandis is under house arrest. The only news Stimos could give Ewen is that Balim is in Tashal.

Azura 5, 732

The rain finally stops.

Ewen presents himself at the castle gate asking to see Prince Brandis. It takes a moment for the guards to notice Ewen as they are arguing amongst themselves about when the girl in the tree left. One of the guards asks if there was anyone else Ewen could talk to.

‘What kind of person would be a substitute for a Prince?’

‘I don’t know, sir. But we are under orders that no one is to see the prince.’

‘I was summoned.’ Ewen tries, weakly.

‘I doubt that. Or if you were it was not recently.’ The guard says with polite denial.

‘Is it possible to pass word to the prince that I was here?’ Ewen says with a sigh.

‘I am not good at the philosophical, but I would say “yes,” but in my limited world, “no.”’

‘I understand sergeant; you are just doing your job. This does leave me in a spot for not obliging the prince’s request.’

‘We have been informed that Prince Brandis no longer has the authority to order anything, so the request is null and void, and you are not in a pickle after all.’

Ewen shakes his head sadly, ‘These are strange days we are living in. Thank you for your time.’

Ewen leaves the castle square and makes his way over to the headquarters of the Blue Boars, where he arranges for them to leave that afternoon for Ternua.

Back at Raven Hall, another messenger arrives for Ewen. This time it is from Varayne and from Lady A. She reports that a yeoman has reported a large group hunting in the woods. More men than she would have been able to repulse, so she let them be.

Aeomund, upon hearing this, offers the services of Kittiara for scouting, stating perhaps she can find where they went and the exact numbers.

A debate starts up on the safety of Thilisa. Is it possible her father or new mother-in-law may try to kidnap or kill her and Ewen’s heir? The debate stems from whether a note to Sir Rollard to get Thilisa out is enough or if they should go to Varayne and supervises the extraction. The consensus from the group is to go to Varayne.
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Matt
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