Settled

 

July 24, 2014

 

"How can this happen?"

 

The scream echoed across the chamber.  The fire burned low in the fireplace but the stones around it still held the heat.  The duke looked up at the empty spot on the wall and blood still turned his vision red.  

 

"Who was on watch at the time," he asked, spit flying out of his mouth.  "I'll have his head.  Or her add," the duke added, not wanting to remove any possibilities.  

 

"We are checking into it," said his majordomo, Lucia Serranum.  "Obviously, magic of some kind was used to get past the outer wards.  No guards anywhere reported anything, not even the house mages."

 

"What does the oracle say?"  The duke was able to calm down a bit.  He was glad Lucia had that effect on him.  

 

"Not much.  Old magic, unseeing wind, a demonic shape, and what she thought was a paralyzed bird but she's not sure of that last one.  She's going to try again when she can but this took a lot out of her."  

 

"Have her try again the instant she can!" The Duke found his anger rising again.  "How can something like this be hidden so well?"  

 

"In this age, with prophecy being questionable, anything seems to be possible your grace."  

 

"Did she at least get a direction?"  

 

"Yes, your Grace, toward-"

 

"Excellent.  Hire the Red Mantis and let them take care of it, however they feel best."  

 

"Are you sure, your Grace?  We don't yet know who did it.  We could risk crossing the wrong person."  

 

The Duke was staring at the blank space again.  "I don't care.  My great, great grandfather had it made and it's been in my family ever since.  I won't be the one to sully my family's honor."  The duke's voice was low but still strong as iron.  "Now, do it."  

 

"Yes, your Grace," and Lucia and turned and swept out of the room.

 

***

 

The group is in town, waiting out the winter.  After a week of training, Shar gets restless.  The nobles received another shipment via a ship and Shar wanted to know more.  Volgash and Fain were interested enough to go along and soon they were all trekking in a storm toward the manor.  Shar and Fain cursed the snow, knowing that invisibility would not be as useful.  Further, the nobles spent a fair amount of money in magical torches.  The property was visible from the town with the dozen, or more, that were lit around the property.  

 

Volgash was scouting as an owl when a curious thing happened.  Another owl landed next to him and spoke to him!  

 

"Are you truly an owl?"  

 

Volgash know that he heard Shoanti and tried to speak back but only made the screech of an owl.  

 

"Hmm.  Not able to speak, then, but you aren't just an owl are you?"  The other owl just looked at Volgash, making him quite uncomfortable.  

 

'How about this?  Move toward me if you are more than an owl."  Volgash took the tiniest of steps, the tiniest his claws would allow, toward the other owl.  

 

"Ah, very good.  Are you a familiar?  This time, step away if that's the case."  

 

Volgash hesitated but then took a step away.  

 

"Ah, very good.  Very good.  Are you of the adventuring group that came from the north?"  

 

Volgash wasn't sure what to do and stayed where he was.  

 

"Hmm.  Can you deliver a message to them?"  

 

Volgash screeched, still unsure how it was this owl could speak Shoanti and he couldn't.  

 

"Very well, follow me."  Saying that, the owl took off toward the house and went in an open windwo, leading to a lavish study.  Cautiously, Volgash followed and immediately went and landed on one of the rafters in the room.  A regal women stood in the room, wearing the gloves of a falconer.  

 

"Greetings," she cooed toward the Volgash.  "Are you able to talk?"  

 

Volgash again screeched.  

 

"I see.  Well, do you know of the adventuring group that came in from the north?"  

 

Volgash nodded and then wondered if that would work but the woman seemed to understand him.  

 

"Excellent.  I wish to hire them.  Would you be so kind as to take them a message?"  When Volgash showed his agreement, the lday crossed to a table and wrote something out with ink and quill.  She wanted to tie it to Volgash but he took it with his beak.  "My thanks," the lady said as Volgash flew out the window.  

 

Volgash tried to read the note after landing on the guest house again and saw that the Countess herself wanted to hire the group!  He met up with Shar and Fain, who had circled the house and not found much beyond the guards and servants.  Shar did memorize what a few of the servants looked like, in case that would be needed later.  They went to the house.  The servant who answered, spoke Varisian but the words they heard and what he mouthed didn't match up.  He greeted them and said the Lady was waiting and showed them to the study.  

 

Lady Persophone Thambeos introduced herself and welcomed them to her home.  She offered them some wine and asked if they were the adventurers.  When they indicated they were, she said she wished to hire them.  Some guards had been hurt by trolls, so they said, after an unknown cave system below the manor was found and explored a bit.  She would like them to take care of it.  Shar says she thinks they will be willing but can't say for sure.  Lady Thambeos asks if they would find out soon?  

 

Shar asked Volgash if he was willing to take the note to the others and ask what they say.  He screeched his okay and took the note and left.  The others are agreeable and trek out to the manor through the increasing storm.  They are greeted at the manor and also meet Count Niko Thambeos.  He thanks them for helping them with this problem and give each of them a thousand gold.  

 

They are shown where a cellar addition broke into a cave system and go down into it.  It turns out it wasn't trolls but hook horrors and a whole nest of them!  They are able to kill them all and return with quite a bit of magic that was found down there.  They go back and show what they found and the Count gladly lets them keep it all.  They head back to town.  

 

Fain arranges to see Pita to sell or trade the items.  Trogdor arm wrestles and when he wins, he gets the loser to arrange a meeting wiht Agellios, the local dog trainer.  That's going to take a few days.  Fain is uncomfortable meeting with Pita with incomplete information but the rest of the party tells him it will be okay.  The meeting with Pita goes well and they are able to trade some of the magic they found for items they will use.  

 

Most of the rest of the season passes as they are in town.  The Count and Countess announce that they are going to build a fountain for the town and that is started, even as winter hits with its full force.  Adrasteia tries to narrow down where the portal will open but can't.  She notices the pixies in town but they avoid her and Shar, so she's not sure what they are doing.  Trogdor gets his dog, (insert name), and starts training her right away, he's so excited to have his dog finally.  Years and years of planning and now he finally has his dog.  Joy has come and its four legged and furry.  

 

Adrasteia wakes up one morning.  The cold of winter is not yet gone but most of the snow has melted, except for a few inches.  She knows the portal will open today.  It's several days ahead of time.  The group spent the winter trying to convince the elders and the merchants that the danger was real.  While they weren't out and out dismissed, the preparation that the group would have liked to have seen didn't happen.  And now the day was on them.  

 

The group gets going.  Fain lets Pita know that the portals will open today.  Shar sends a note to the Count and Countess.  They at least seem to be taking it seriously as twenty of their guards show up and the group puts them in position.  They brought some wagons to set up as barricades and then get ready with crossbows.  A few merchants do offer wagons, so there is enough for a second barricade across the river.  Adrasteia knows it will be soon when a vision comes over her.  They were hoping they could put Fain close to be able to shut the portal down when it opened.  Adrasteia now sees a dozen portals opening at the site, with hundred of goblins and orcs ready to go through.  And these aren't the same troops as before.  The goblins, at least, are better equipped, with arms and armor, instead of only dog slicers.  The orcs look as ready as ever.  

 

As the vision leaves her, Adrasteia knows there are only heartbeats to go before battle starts.  

 

***

 

Lucia caught up with the woman in the stable as she readied her horse.  

 

"My apologies again, lady," as Lucia bowed.  "The Duke is quite agitated about this, as you might imagine, and wanted it handled by someone of sufficiently high rank.  I trust the payment was sufficient?"  

 

The woman checked the bridle and then moved to tighten the saddle.  "Yes, the payment was acceptable.  It's going to take some time, of course.  Not much out there and I doubt I will be able to use the normal means to communicate."  She kept moving around the horse, settling items into place and checking that all of the straps were tight and ready for a long journey.  

 

"Of course, his Grace understands.  Let us know when you can."  The woman checked the weapons on the side, in reach if needed, and then tied shut the saddle bags.  She mounted the horse easily and turned toward Lucia.  

 

"I will let you know when I find the stolen axe and then when I have retrieved it or need help doing so."  

 

GM Notes

• In my mind, Brook's Shifter fully becomes the animal and cannot speak.  In contrast, the familiar of the Countess could allow the Countess to speak through him.  
• I wasted too much time "buying the cloak" and needed to keep it focused.  I keep forgetting that players, at least my players, are waiting for things to happen, not to do things.  So I need to keep that in mind and keep things moving.  I only hesitate to do that  because with several months of downtime, I want them to have a chance to do things.  But that can be for journal entries as well.  
• "Buying the cloak"  is when expectations don't meet up and a few people get caught up in the details.  
• I was hoping we could end with part of the battle happening for a good cliff hanger but it seems like that will be next time.   

 

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