Thomas Hobbes
First Post
Capellan said:
Oh dear. Bad philosophy, that.
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Company of the Random Encounter ('complete' 14 Nov 2004)
- Thread starter Capellan
- Start date
Oh dear. Bad philosophy, that.
Capellan
Explorer
"One Day's Journey Into Night" / "Manifesting" - Part 1
Following their battle with the vampire spawn who had once been Brother Durham, the adventurers at the monastery send word for the rest of the Company to join them there. Despite their initial bravado, the creature's final words: "None can stand before the Ebon Court!" are troubling. It suggests a greater force at work, one of which none of them have previously heard.
The decision is made to travel north, toward Marikest, chief city of the Hidden Coast. Other than the capital city of Tarkamul, this is the largest settlement in the Duchy, and the nearest place at which they are likely to find any information about the Ebon Court. The journey will still take a week or more, but there are plenty of villages along the way, including Poisson, where some of the group hope to visit the bee-keeping wizard, Sionaas. After all, Twinkle has already half-finished the jar of honey he gave her.
In the end, however, the gnome is not one of the first members of the group to set out. Instead it is decided that five of them will go ahead with the wagon, which can only travel slowly, for it is massively weighed down with suits of scale mail pillaged from the orcs in the caves below the monastery. The rest of the group will wait at the monastery for a few days, until the catacombs have been properly repaired, and the cave entrance sealed, and then follow behind.
The 'advance party' consists of the Padre - probably to stop his tiresome theological disputes with the Pelorites - Ming Li, Rose, Sirdros and Briar. Leaving the monastery at dawn, the five travel all day with their wagon and its overworked horse, making camp just before dusk They spend an uneventful night, but awaken the next morning to see a thick cloud of smoke arising to the north. This could only come from a large, fierce fire: probably a burning building.
A spirited argument follows about whether and how to investigate.
"It'll all be over by the time we get the wagon there." The Padre shrugs, shading his eyes as he stares at the smoke.
"Then we should leave the wagon." Ming Li folds her arms, "People's lives may be in danger. We should help."
"Leave the wagon!" the Priest of St Cuthbert sputters, "All our treasure is in there!"
"Four hundred pounds of smelly orc armour is not treasure." The monk sniffs.
"The rest of your could go ahead, and I'll come up behind with the wagon." Sirdros offers. "I'm the only one who can get it moving at more than a crawl, anyway."
"Not much more than a crawl." Briar mutters.
"We don't have time for this." Ming Li persists, "Sirdros can come behind. The rest of us should go."
It proves that the smoke is indeed from a burning building: about a half mile up the road, the four adventurers reach a tiny hamlet, of no more than a dozen homes. The largest building - probably the inn and town hall - is aflame, with a bucket brigade doing its best to douse the fire. Off to one side, two people lie sprawled on the ground, with one of the locals crouched over them.
"You three help the bucket brigade." The Padre takes charge, "I'll see if those two over there need any help." Striding over, he slaps the crouching peasant on the shoulder, "You there! Do these folk still live?"
"Aye, they do." The peasant - a human male in his middle years - gives the Priest little notice, his attention on the two people on the ground. "They've breathed ina lot o' smoke, and passed out, t'pair of 'em. Ma Wilberry was caught inside t'inn when it lit up, and young 'un here went in to get her."
'Ma Wilberry' is stout, grey-haired woman with startlingly bushy eyebrows. The 'young un' is a handsome human, wearing a slightly charred tabard, emblazoned with the symbol of Heironeous.
"Stand clear." The Padre orders. The older man looks up in annoyance, then - catching sight of the holy symbol of St Cuthbert - hurriedly makes room for the priest. The Padre invokes his god, channelling healing energy into the young man
"Ugh." The young opens his eyes and grimaces, wiping his soot-stained mouth on the cuff of his shirt, "That could have gone better. Ah! Is Madam Wilberry alright?"
"She will be once I have tended to her, as well." The Padre replies, doing exactly that.
"Splendid. I'm Khore Vlentyne by the way." The young man smiles and offers his hand. He has the most even, white teeth the Padre has ever seen, "I'm a holy knight of Heironeous."
"Padre Wolfgang Priem, of the Company of the Random Encounter."
Khore's smile fades, and his hand drops to his side.
"Oh." He grimaces slightly, "Adventurers."
Following their battle with the vampire spawn who had once been Brother Durham, the adventurers at the monastery send word for the rest of the Company to join them there. Despite their initial bravado, the creature's final words: "None can stand before the Ebon Court!" are troubling. It suggests a greater force at work, one of which none of them have previously heard.
The decision is made to travel north, toward Marikest, chief city of the Hidden Coast. Other than the capital city of Tarkamul, this is the largest settlement in the Duchy, and the nearest place at which they are likely to find any information about the Ebon Court. The journey will still take a week or more, but there are plenty of villages along the way, including Poisson, where some of the group hope to visit the bee-keeping wizard, Sionaas. After all, Twinkle has already half-finished the jar of honey he gave her.
In the end, however, the gnome is not one of the first members of the group to set out. Instead it is decided that five of them will go ahead with the wagon, which can only travel slowly, for it is massively weighed down with suits of scale mail pillaged from the orcs in the caves below the monastery. The rest of the group will wait at the monastery for a few days, until the catacombs have been properly repaired, and the cave entrance sealed, and then follow behind.
The 'advance party' consists of the Padre - probably to stop his tiresome theological disputes with the Pelorites - Ming Li, Rose, Sirdros and Briar. Leaving the monastery at dawn, the five travel all day with their wagon and its overworked horse, making camp just before dusk They spend an uneventful night, but awaken the next morning to see a thick cloud of smoke arising to the north. This could only come from a large, fierce fire: probably a burning building.
A spirited argument follows about whether and how to investigate.
"It'll all be over by the time we get the wagon there." The Padre shrugs, shading his eyes as he stares at the smoke.
"Then we should leave the wagon." Ming Li folds her arms, "People's lives may be in danger. We should help."
"Leave the wagon!" the Priest of St Cuthbert sputters, "All our treasure is in there!"
"Four hundred pounds of smelly orc armour is not treasure." The monk sniffs.
"The rest of your could go ahead, and I'll come up behind with the wagon." Sirdros offers. "I'm the only one who can get it moving at more than a crawl, anyway."
"Not much more than a crawl." Briar mutters.
"We don't have time for this." Ming Li persists, "Sirdros can come behind. The rest of us should go."
It proves that the smoke is indeed from a burning building: about a half mile up the road, the four adventurers reach a tiny hamlet, of no more than a dozen homes. The largest building - probably the inn and town hall - is aflame, with a bucket brigade doing its best to douse the fire. Off to one side, two people lie sprawled on the ground, with one of the locals crouched over them.
"You three help the bucket brigade." The Padre takes charge, "I'll see if those two over there need any help." Striding over, he slaps the crouching peasant on the shoulder, "You there! Do these folk still live?"
"Aye, they do." The peasant - a human male in his middle years - gives the Priest little notice, his attention on the two people on the ground. "They've breathed ina lot o' smoke, and passed out, t'pair of 'em. Ma Wilberry was caught inside t'inn when it lit up, and young 'un here went in to get her."
'Ma Wilberry' is stout, grey-haired woman with startlingly bushy eyebrows. The 'young un' is a handsome human, wearing a slightly charred tabard, emblazoned with the symbol of Heironeous.
"Stand clear." The Padre orders. The older man looks up in annoyance, then - catching sight of the holy symbol of St Cuthbert - hurriedly makes room for the priest. The Padre invokes his god, channelling healing energy into the young man
"Ugh." The young opens his eyes and grimaces, wiping his soot-stained mouth on the cuff of his shirt, "That could have gone better. Ah! Is Madam Wilberry alright?"
"She will be once I have tended to her, as well." The Padre replies, doing exactly that.
"Splendid. I'm Khore Vlentyne by the way." The young man smiles and offers his hand. He has the most even, white teeth the Padre has ever seen, "I'm a holy knight of Heironeous."
"Padre Wolfgang Priem, of the Company of the Random Encounter."
Khore's smile fades, and his hand drops to his side.
"Oh." He grimaces slightly, "Adventurers."
Capellan
Explorer
"One Day's Journey Into Night" / "Manifesting" - Part 2
As the other adventurers drift over, the flames now under control, the Padre interrogates the locals about the cause of the fire. It emerges that a group of riders burst into town about an hour before dawn, set fire to the inn, then rode away.
"They made no attempt to steal anything?"
"None." The peasant bobs his head, "I'd a seen it if'n they did, an' they didn't. Take anything, that is."
"It makes no sense." The Priest frets. "Why ride in, set fire to a building, and ride out? There's no profit in it."
"Some people are motivated by things other than profit." Khore sniffs. The Padre ignores him,
"You didn't recognise any of these raiders? They didn't shout out any demands? They gave no reasons for the attack?"
"Nowt like right, y'honour." The man shakes his head, "And no-one recognised none of 'em."
The Padre frowns, but then accepts this answer as bad grammar, rather than clever use of the double negative.
"At least no-one was hurt." Khore remarks, cheerfully ignoring his own incapacitation, "Now I shall hunt down these varlets and bring them to justice."
Whatever response the adventurers might have made is interrupted by a man, dressed in slightly faded livery, who comes running down the street, shouting as he comes,
"Help! Help! The Lady Melina has been kidnapped!"
"Ah!" the Padre looks smugly satisfied, "Profit. I knew that had to be behind it."
The man comes to a halt near the group and doubles over, panting for breath. From his painful wheezing, it seems he is not used to the exertion of a cross-country run,
"Be you adventurers?" he gasps at last.
"Yes."
"No."
Khore and the Padre give each other sour looks before the Knight of Heironeous explains further to the confused-looking newcomer.
"They are adventurers. I am a Champion of the Imperial Church, and whatever aid I can give in your Lady's return, I offer it freely."
"Better hope there's lots of passing out that needs doing." The Padre mutters under his breath, then raises his voice, "We are the Company of the Random Encounter, certified members of the Adventurers' Guild. To whom should we speak about assisting in the lady's rescue?"
"That would be my Lord Prisius." The man points back in the direction he came from, "He be at the castle, from where she were taken."
"Is there a good road leading up to the castle?" the Padre asks. When the man nods in answer, the Priest of St Cuthbert gives a smile of satisfaction, "Good. Then we will go and recover our wagon, and return here to go with you there."
Ming Li's eyebrows rise,
"A woman has been kidnapped and you fret over the wagon?"
"There are bandits around." The Priest defends himself, "Burning inns and stealing women; they could steal all our things, too, if we aren't careful. It's not like Sirdros could stop them. And we can't afford to get him raised again if he tries."
Ming Li recognises the pointlessness of further argument. She turns to the still half out of breath servant, "Is this castle easily found?"
"Aye." The man nods, "Just follow the road north from the town, and the Castle be near the three hills."
"Rose and Briar, could you two go back and help Sirdros guard our precious wagon?" Ming Li gets affirmative answers from the two other women, and turns back to the scowling Padre. "I see our new friend has already set out -" she points at Khore, who began marching north as soon as directions were given to the castle, "- I suggest we follow."
As the other adventurers drift over, the flames now under control, the Padre interrogates the locals about the cause of the fire. It emerges that a group of riders burst into town about an hour before dawn, set fire to the inn, then rode away.
"They made no attempt to steal anything?"
"None." The peasant bobs his head, "I'd a seen it if'n they did, an' they didn't. Take anything, that is."
"It makes no sense." The Priest frets. "Why ride in, set fire to a building, and ride out? There's no profit in it."
"Some people are motivated by things other than profit." Khore sniffs. The Padre ignores him,
"You didn't recognise any of these raiders? They didn't shout out any demands? They gave no reasons for the attack?"
"Nowt like right, y'honour." The man shakes his head, "And no-one recognised none of 'em."
The Padre frowns, but then accepts this answer as bad grammar, rather than clever use of the double negative.
"At least no-one was hurt." Khore remarks, cheerfully ignoring his own incapacitation, "Now I shall hunt down these varlets and bring them to justice."
Whatever response the adventurers might have made is interrupted by a man, dressed in slightly faded livery, who comes running down the street, shouting as he comes,
"Help! Help! The Lady Melina has been kidnapped!"
"Ah!" the Padre looks smugly satisfied, "Profit. I knew that had to be behind it."
The man comes to a halt near the group and doubles over, panting for breath. From his painful wheezing, it seems he is not used to the exertion of a cross-country run,
"Be you adventurers?" he gasps at last.
"Yes."
"No."
Khore and the Padre give each other sour looks before the Knight of Heironeous explains further to the confused-looking newcomer.
"They are adventurers. I am a Champion of the Imperial Church, and whatever aid I can give in your Lady's return, I offer it freely."
"Better hope there's lots of passing out that needs doing." The Padre mutters under his breath, then raises his voice, "We are the Company of the Random Encounter, certified members of the Adventurers' Guild. To whom should we speak about assisting in the lady's rescue?"
"That would be my Lord Prisius." The man points back in the direction he came from, "He be at the castle, from where she were taken."
"Is there a good road leading up to the castle?" the Padre asks. When the man nods in answer, the Priest of St Cuthbert gives a smile of satisfaction, "Good. Then we will go and recover our wagon, and return here to go with you there."
Ming Li's eyebrows rise,
"A woman has been kidnapped and you fret over the wagon?"
"There are bandits around." The Priest defends himself, "Burning inns and stealing women; they could steal all our things, too, if we aren't careful. It's not like Sirdros could stop them. And we can't afford to get him raised again if he tries."
Ming Li recognises the pointlessness of further argument. She turns to the still half out of breath servant, "Is this castle easily found?"
"Aye." The man nods, "Just follow the road north from the town, and the Castle be near the three hills."
"Rose and Briar, could you two go back and help Sirdros guard our precious wagon?" Ming Li gets affirmative answers from the two other women, and turns back to the scowling Padre. "I see our new friend has already set out -" she points at Khore, who began marching north as soon as directions were given to the castle, "- I suggest we follow."
Just to let you know, I'm stealing the basic idea - the idea of CotRE.
Of course, I'm changing it some to match my styles, which includes a name change to CoRE (Company of Random Encounters).
Just wanted to let you know that thanks to you, I've solved the problem of getting my players together to play - schedules are still a problem, but not like before.
Perhaps we will soon see another Storyhour in the future with the title of CoRE....I'll make sure it doesn't resemble yours too closely.
Thanks again,
Peterson
Of course, I'm changing it some to match my styles, which includes a name change to CoRE (Company of Random Encounters).
Just wanted to let you know that thanks to you, I've solved the problem of getting my players together to play - schedules are still a problem, but not like before.
Perhaps we will soon see another Storyhour in the future with the title of CoRE....I'll make sure it doesn't resemble yours too closely.
Thanks again,
Peterson
Capellan
Explorer
An Unexpected Ending
The acolyte put down his quill, and stared in frustration at the last words - ink still drying - on the page before him.
"That can't be it!" he protested, "It just ends in the middle!"
The monastery's ancient lorekeeper looked up his seat near the warmth of the fire,
"Not everything goes as planned, child." His voice is dry and dusty, "The bard Macwood, who wrote these tales, left the Company not long after. His family called on him, and he went to aid them, in a distant land far from these shores."
"But what of the others? Could one of them not have taken up the tale?"
"Perhaps, but those were dark days for Galiban." The old man stared into the fire, as if he could see the past in the flames, "They saved the girl, that much I can tell you. There were other quests, the tales of which were never written down, but the Ebon Court was working all the while. They wrought a spell of great power, and covered the sun in darkness. Their armies marched - skeletons and zombies and gnolls, as well as other creatures far more foul - and much of the Duchy fell under their control."
"And what of the Company of the Random Encounter?" the youngster persisted, "Surely they stood against this threat?"
The old man sighed.
"Most of the Company fell at the Battle of Brightstone Keep, in the last weeks before the Ebon Court came into the open."
"They were killed?" the acolyte's voice broke as he asked the question.
"That often happens to adventurers, my son. The dead were the lucky ones: those who did not die became servants of darkness, under the spell of the vampires who ruled the Court. A few were later redeemed, and fought in the assault on the Ebon Court's stronghold."
"Do you know what happened to them? Who survived, and who fell?"
The old man sighed, even deeper this time. When he answered, his voice was a whisper,
"I do."
The boy had the sensitivity not to ask, but his hunger to know was clear from his expression, and at last the old man spoke again.
"Briar left at the same time as Macwood. It is said she returned to Marikest, and found the sister she had thought was dead, but most of the rest of her life was spent in the wild woods ... her mate was Redhoof the Satyr, and she became a powerful druidess.
Twinkle survived the fight at Brightstone Keep. She was redeemed, but her time as the vampire's pawn left her much changed ... the shadows had embraced her. She fought at the final battle, but has not been seen since."
"Did many die at Brightstone Keep?"
"The only other survivors of that day were Mantreus and the two clerics: Sirdros and the Padre." The lorekeeper answered, "The existence of some of the others did not end that day, but they could never be said to have truly 'lived', again."
The boy swallowed, his eyes wide and shocked,
"And those three?"
"Mantreus' sorcerous powers grew wild and uncontrollable. He was lost in a storm of chaos-magic, torn from this world and thrown into the infinite planes. Perhaps he survived: strange things happened around that one.
Sirdros was redeemed from the vampires' dominion, and fought at the final battle. He was the light of Pelor on that dark field, and the vampires did all they could to destroy him. They succeeded, but were destroyed themselves. He rests now with his God."
The old man fell silent, staring once more into the fire. The young acolyte waited, but the silence went unbroken, and at last he shifted in his seat, and spoke,
"What of the Padre?"
"What?" the Lorekeeper started from his reverie, "Oh ... the Padre." He paused, as if searching for the right words, "He never found the men who killed his father, but he found peace, and a new family, and he was content."
When it became clear the older man would say no more, the acolyte gathered up his quill and ink and walked quietly to the door. Reaching it, he turned back,
"The Grace of St Cuthbert be with you, Lorekeeper."
"And with you, my son." The old man did not turn from the fire as the boy walked away. He stared on into the flames, remembering dark times and brave comrades, and the many years that had passed him since.
And he was content.
The acolyte put down his quill, and stared in frustration at the last words - ink still drying - on the page before him.
"That can't be it!" he protested, "It just ends in the middle!"
The monastery's ancient lorekeeper looked up his seat near the warmth of the fire,
"Not everything goes as planned, child." His voice is dry and dusty, "The bard Macwood, who wrote these tales, left the Company not long after. His family called on him, and he went to aid them, in a distant land far from these shores."
"But what of the others? Could one of them not have taken up the tale?"
"Perhaps, but those were dark days for Galiban." The old man stared into the fire, as if he could see the past in the flames, "They saved the girl, that much I can tell you. There were other quests, the tales of which were never written down, but the Ebon Court was working all the while. They wrought a spell of great power, and covered the sun in darkness. Their armies marched - skeletons and zombies and gnolls, as well as other creatures far more foul - and much of the Duchy fell under their control."
"And what of the Company of the Random Encounter?" the youngster persisted, "Surely they stood against this threat?"
The old man sighed.
"Most of the Company fell at the Battle of Brightstone Keep, in the last weeks before the Ebon Court came into the open."
"They were killed?" the acolyte's voice broke as he asked the question.
"That often happens to adventurers, my son. The dead were the lucky ones: those who did not die became servants of darkness, under the spell of the vampires who ruled the Court. A few were later redeemed, and fought in the assault on the Ebon Court's stronghold."
"Do you know what happened to them? Who survived, and who fell?"
The old man sighed, even deeper this time. When he answered, his voice was a whisper,
"I do."
The boy had the sensitivity not to ask, but his hunger to know was clear from his expression, and at last the old man spoke again.
"Briar left at the same time as Macwood. It is said she returned to Marikest, and found the sister she had thought was dead, but most of the rest of her life was spent in the wild woods ... her mate was Redhoof the Satyr, and she became a powerful druidess.
Twinkle survived the fight at Brightstone Keep. She was redeemed, but her time as the vampire's pawn left her much changed ... the shadows had embraced her. She fought at the final battle, but has not been seen since."
"Did many die at Brightstone Keep?"
"The only other survivors of that day were Mantreus and the two clerics: Sirdros and the Padre." The lorekeeper answered, "The existence of some of the others did not end that day, but they could never be said to have truly 'lived', again."
The boy swallowed, his eyes wide and shocked,
"And those three?"
"Mantreus' sorcerous powers grew wild and uncontrollable. He was lost in a storm of chaos-magic, torn from this world and thrown into the infinite planes. Perhaps he survived: strange things happened around that one.
Sirdros was redeemed from the vampires' dominion, and fought at the final battle. He was the light of Pelor on that dark field, and the vampires did all they could to destroy him. They succeeded, but were destroyed themselves. He rests now with his God."
The old man fell silent, staring once more into the fire. The young acolyte waited, but the silence went unbroken, and at last he shifted in his seat, and spoke,
"What of the Padre?"
"What?" the Lorekeeper started from his reverie, "Oh ... the Padre." He paused, as if searching for the right words, "He never found the men who killed his father, but he found peace, and a new family, and he was content."
When it became clear the older man would say no more, the acolyte gathered up his quill and ink and walked quietly to the door. Reaching it, he turned back,
"The Grace of St Cuthbert be with you, Lorekeeper."
"And with you, my son." The old man did not turn from the fire as the boy walked away. He stared on into the flames, remembering dark times and brave comrades, and the many years that had passed him since.
And he was content.
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