League of Assassins - Conclusion

[Kriskrafts]

Game #4 - 2/23/03

Chapter 14, “Look at all this stuff they gave us!”, July 4, 1019, 3:45 P.M.

The stealth team had no sooner entered the great hall of Kulp’s Comfortable Castle when Narg instructed them to “Make yourself at home in here, and protect the items.” Narg and the fighters then left, shutting the doorway behind them. “What the hell was that all about, and what is this place?” asks the elvan thief Dennismore. “I don’t know, be he told us to guard the chest and cabinet,” states the halfling Blip. “Should we open them?” asks the gnome Blip. “Well…we really should find out what we are guarding,” the drow Ailsheir states. “Open, Open, Open,” the hengeyokai ranger Ebony impatiently states.

Ailsheir says “OK, Blake or Dennis, these things appear locked. Go at it.” “What am I? Chopped Liver,” Blip yells. Ailsheir says “What, they’re thieves. You’re an illusionist, or an sorcerer, or an assassin, or something!” The halfling answers “Okay, forget I said anything. For this mission it’s probably better that nobody remembers what I am.”

Between Blake, Blip and Dennismore they manage to get all of the drawers open, and begin to inspect all of the items. Ebony is unimpressed, saying “It’s only a bunch of rocks! What good are rocks. You can’t eat them, and they’re heavy to carry.” Ailshear tells the cat hengeyokai “That’s okay, you don’t have to keep any of them. We’ll just take them all and give you a nice ball of yarn.” In response she draws her bow, knocks an arrow, and points it at the drow, stating “What was that?” “Nothing,” he meekly replies.

Just as they are finishing up Serita opens the door, tosses in the jeweled dress, and then exits. Ebony examines the dress, saying “Well, this is nice.” “About time she discovered clothing,” Blip comments. “Hey, I like her in the leather bikini,” Dennismore replies.

They all then check out the castle. They decide to store the items in the room furthest from the door (Room #11 on the Castle map). They then debate who should stay in that bedroom to guard the items. The group decides on Ebony, as she has the best senses and also has little to no interest in keeping the items. “Yeah, but she’ll probably lick ‘em all,” Dennis comments. “Or will keep us up batting them around on the floor with her paws,” Ailsheir adds.

Dennismore is sent to take first watch guarding the doorway in the great hall, as the other three settle into the rooms around Ebony’s. Just as the halfling Blake is climbing into bed he hears a voice say “Hello Mr. Blake. This is exciting mission.” Recognizing the voice as that of his teenage hengeyokai apprentice Lee-May, Blake yells out “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!” She reminds him that the previous week she had been doing a test while invisible, and says “I just never turn back visible.” “BUT WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!” the halfling exclaims. “Did I do good?” she asks. “NO!” he yells. She starts to cry, until he says “Yes, yes you did do good. Now stop crying.”

By now his yelling has attracted the attention of the others, who open his door and see the halfling talking to the wall. He explains to the others Lee-May’s presence. “Great, he brought along his girlfriend,” Ailsheir states. “SHE’S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!” Blake yells. Ebony comments “What’s the problem? I’ve known she was here all along.” This prompts the others to all get mad at and yell at Ebony. She replies “We are on a stealth team. What could be more stealthy than someone who can become a spider monkey rogue, and is also invisible.” Ailsheir says “That’s not what has me worried. We’re supposed to be the stealth team, and go up agaisnt high level assassins! How good are we if an apprentice can follow us without being seen. Lee-May says to Blake “See, he thinks I do good too.”

The group settle down, reluctantly accepting her presence. She bunks in the same room with Ebony. The group maintain shifts for the next day, watching the doorway, which does not open at all.

 

[Kriskrafts]

Chapter 15, “Arrival of the Royals”, July 5, 1019, 7:00 A.M.:

The day starts early again, with the construction workers making further changes to the building. The previous day all windows and unnecessary doors were secured shut. Cheveyo is helping the carpenters put up the catwalk. Mojo comments “Are you sure he is really a member of the party. He’s actually being helpful.” Serita finally returns from Kindor’s castle, looking very relaxed.

An hour later they are joined by Lord Ki-Geloryn. Ki is an old friend of the Silver Moon Adventurers. He is the Lord of the township of Gelorynth, which is 40 miles west of Jawltorn. Ki is in his mid-sixties, and serves on the Jawlt Council as the Minister of Diplomacy and Liaison to the Queen and other Lordholder. Ki has the patience to endure with politicians, a skill that Kindor, Narg and Serita lack. Ki says that a ship will be arriving at noon with three guest groups, and asks the adventurers to accompany him.

“Who’s coming in on the ship?” asks Narg “The King and Queen,” Ki answers. “What”, exclaims Mojo, “Together? Why if I find out that she’s two-timing on me with her husband I’ll kill somebody.” “Hopefully yourself,” Serita mutters. Ki says he will be back in a few hours after securing lodgings for the Queen, and departs.

As they have a few hours to spare, Aradyn, Cassie, Lannon, Mark and Mojo decide to continue with the investigation of the stolen statue. They return to the warehouse where the ambush took place to talk to the proprietor, a human named Rollins. Mojo suggests “Why don’t we just kill him, we can always do a Speak with Dead spell later.” Lannon says “Should that we the group’s new motto?” Mojo answers “Sure, but it will look better etched on the bow of our ship in Elvan.”

Lannon introduces himself as a Jawlt Council member, telling Rollins that he is investigating the incident. Rollins explains that Porter was his day guard, who didn’t show up for work the day before. “Oh, we think he was actually here,” states Lannon. They ask about any other missing employees, finding that the night guard Norbert also did not show up. The descriptions of both men match the two armored men that had attempted to climb onto Serita’s wagon. Rollins isn’t much help as he doesn’t know much more about either men, other than that they had always showed up for work on time and that he paid them each 2 gold pieces a week “I think they found a better offer,” Lannon states. The group then return to their temporary home.

Shortly before noon Ki arrives in a rather fancy carriage. The group of Fiona, Narg, Mojo, Serita and Timothy follow in the other carriage. Along the way to the military docks Mojo discusses different types of fatal accidents that he could arrange for the King. They arrive back at the same dock that their own ship had arrived at, which is currently vacant. “Hey what happened to our ship?” Mojo yells out. “We sent it home yesterday morning,” Serita answers. “Good,” states Mojo, “I was afraid at first that I had either lost it in a card game or sold it for beer money.”

A large warship flying both the Queen’s Navy flag and the flag of the Cantage Lordholding is soon seen on the horizon. Accompanying it into the harbor is Kindor’s flagship, the Jawltorn. Both ships arrive and dock simultaneously. An honor guard is lined up on the starboard side of the Jawlt flagship, facing the other vessel. Narg notes that all of these men are wearing the insignia of Naval archer squadron, with quivers of arrows on their back, but no visible bows “Probably on the deck in front of each, just below the ship’s rail” he comments. Waller, the Jawlt Naval Commander remains on the deck of the Jawltorn.

The gangplank is positioned onto the Cantage vessel, with Ki-Gelorynth making his way up followed closely by the five members of the Silver Moon team. Both the King and Queen are there to greet him. Standing with her is the ancient dwarf Grimway, her Royal Treasurer, and General Aaron, the human ranger and military leader assigned to the three central Lordholdings. Mojo has worn his own General’s uniform, and King Matthan is attired in his Admiral’s uniform. This serves as a reminder that the Queen and three of the Queen’s five military leaders are now all together in one place. This causes immediate concern for both Serita and Narg, who realize how tempting a group of targets this would be if the ILA was looking to disrupt the continent.

Ki address Queen Jennifer, welcoming her to the Jawlt Lordholding, and stating that lodgings have been arranged for her and her entourage. Ki offers to bring her to the lodgings. Arron asks Mojo if he will accompany them as well, which the elf readily agrees too.

Next Ki greets King Matthan. He politely explains to the King that the place where the Queen is staying is fully booked, but that there are several other fine inns where he could find lodgings. King Matthan states that he will be staying on his flagship, but that two aristocrats from his home city of Pirna will need lodgings. This couple steps forward, being introduced as Thomas and Antoinette Khorram. They are both in their forties, and overweight. Ki tells them that he will send a carriage back to get them. “Hopefully one with sturdy axles” Narg whispers to Mojo.

The final guest group are then introduced. They are from the Cantage city of Autzvourg. The leader of the group is Lord Geoffrey Burgoyne. With him is Melanie, a high priestess of Ukko, who Timothy has met before. Also in the group are Darren, a high preist of the Twin Gods (Huan-Ti & Hotoru). The final member of that group is Sir Carter Rosewood, a paladin, who says that they can call him “Rosey”. It is obvious that the ocean voyage did not sit well with Lord Burgoyne, whose face is an interesting shade green, and anxiously leaves the ship. Serita goes with him, and administers a druidic spell on him, which restores his health in a manner that the high priests had been unable to.

The rest of the party head down the gangplank. Narg confers with Waller, the Jawlt Naval Commander, who says that the flagship will remain here as long as Matthan’s ship is in the city. Ki and Mojo join join the Queen and her party in the first carriage. The other four members of the Silver Moon get into the other carriage. Both carriages leave the docks.

 

[Kriskrafts]

Chapter 16, “The Ancient Keep“, July 5, 1016, 1:00 P.M.

The carriages travel north for approximately two miles, ending in an area with sizeable estates due west of the Lordholder’s Castle. They approach another castle, with an ornate gold-plated sign above the exterior iron gates that reads “The Ancient Keep”. Entering through the gates, they travel through a courtyard filled with trees and gardens, and then approach a 30-foot high stone wall with a pair of oak gates in the front. The gates are currently open, but a dozen Jawlt Army troops are blocking the opening. After identifying the occupants of the carriages the soldiers let them pass.

Inside of the wall they pass through what appears to be the outer bailey of the castle, seeing stables to the left, more gardens, and some small buildings along the far wall. They stop at a carriage house beside the stables, and the group exit from the carriages. A group of servants of the keep come forward to get the Queen’s luggage, placing it on hand carts. Ki leads the group on the short walk through the courtyard to the next gate, which is along a 25-foot high interior wall. On the other side of the wall they see the top of a 50-foot high tower, which had been constructed to defend this gate.

A quartet of guards attired differently than the soldiers, open this gate for Ki and the others. They enter into the main living area of the keep. The wall runs in the shape of an oval, 400 feet at its widest point. A three-story stone manor house comprises most of the interior, and a second tower is along the far wall opposite the first tower.

“Interesting place,” Fiona states. Ki tells the group a brief history of the keep, stating that this castle is over 500 years old, and the only older human-built structure in Jawlt being his own castle in Gelorynth. He says that the castle was the home of the Jawltorn City Lord up until 150 years ago, when the current Lordholder’s Castle was constructed. Following that, the castle changed hands a number of times, and was converted into an inn around 45 years earlier. He explains the front tower is used as a residence for the owners and employees and the rear tower house keep’s kitchen, formal dining room and a library. The Manor house itself has 18 spacious rooms for the guests.

They enter the manor house, which is decorated, as one would expect an ancient castle to look. The walls have elaborate tapestries, and all of the furniture is well made antiques. An older woman in a velvet gown is waiting in the lobby, and welcomes Queen Jennifer and her entourage to the inn. She gives General Aaron a ring with multiple keys, stating that the rooms on the third floor are for the Queen and her party. The party head towards the Queen’s suite, which is comprised of four bedrooms a living room, and a meeting room. They all go to the meeting room, where a spread of food and beverages has been left for them. Timothy does a quick check on the food to make sure that none of it has been poisoned.

As they sit down to eat, Narg asks the Queen “So, what’s going on Jenny?” She tells the group that it was important for her to make an appearance at this auction, what with all of the visiting heads of state coming to it. She says that the construction of the hospital is also a charitable cause that she supports. Lastly, she adds “And I many also want to purchase some of the items.”

Serita says, “I trust that you’ve been briefed about the International League of Assassins. Do you have your sword?” Jennifer replies, “Yes, I have my shortsword that detects Assassins with me. In fact, I’m wearing it right now, you just can’t see it beneath my dress.” Mojo begins to make a comment to that, but is quickly elbowed by Narg into keeping it to himself. Ki-Geloryn adds “Protection of the Queen is our top concern. There are fancier inns than this one in the city, but none that are more secure. The second floor has been reserved for Lord Aldorn’s party. I am staying on the ground level. “And all the rooms are taken?” Fiona asks. “They are now,” Ki adds, “There are still a few on the group floor still being unused, but I’ve reserved them to keep away unwanted guests.” “Like the King,” Mojo interjects. “Exactly,” Ki replies.

Narg then says “So, what exactly is going on with (expletive)-face?” The whole table bursts out laughing at the new nickname for the King. Queen Jennifer says “Not much. My making him an Admiral in the Navy seems to have pacified him for now.” “Nice of you to do that for him,” Fiona comments. “Well, he did own half of the warships on the continent,” is her reply, “Better that they be part of my navy than opposing it.”

“And his advisors, those covert followers of Loviatar?” Timothy asks. She smiles, saying “When he stopped being the ruler of the continent Lady Pamela and her cronies abandoned him. They’ve all moved back to the coastal city of Dunn.” “And who exactly are that couple that are now with him?” Serita asks. Jennifer replies “Thomas and Antoinette Khorram. When Pamela left they moved in to fill the vacuum.” Narg comments “Yeah, he’s always had someone pulling his strings, before Pamela it was his brother Toronas. “And his father Henri prior to that,” Ki adds.

“So, who exactly are these Khorrams?” Serita asks. Jennifer replies “Wealthy aristocrats from the city of Pirna. She’s old money, he’s new money. They’ve been married for about 15 years, and appear to now hate each other. I’m not sure what their interest is in Matthan, but they’ve been sticking to him like glue for the past few months."

The group finishes up their meal, and prepares to depart, except for Mojo who chooses to stay behind for a private consultation with Jennifer.

 

[Kriskrafts]

Game #5, 3/02/03 (Group Game #850)

Chapter 17,”The Elves of Mengale”, July 5th, 1019, 4:00 P.M.

Ki-Geloryn’s carriage arrives outside of the auction house. He enters, and asks which full-elvan members of the party are currently around. Both Aradyn and Kharole are present, and he asks if they could assist him with greeting some foreign guests to the city. They agree, but ask why them? He explains that these elves are from a Kingdom known as Mengale, which is comprised of xenophobic elves who believe in elvan superiority. It is therefore important that they be met by full elves. “And you want us?” Kharole exclaims. Ki replies that he haa Mojo is out in the carriage, who will greet them as the Queen’s General, but that he wants a few more along just to make sure that Mojo “Doesn’t say or do anything that would cause a war.”

They head out to the carriage, and see that Mojo is in a totally foul mood. He complains that "Ki iterrupted my private consultation with the Queen for this stupid diplomatic mission.” Kharole says “Oh, don’t worry about it, they’ll be plenty of time later for….consultations.”

The carriage travels to the eastern section of the outer city, along the city wall, to the area known informally as the ‘Elvan District’. Two doors down from the Elvan Meeting Hall is the Woodsman’s Inn. The inn itself has rather unique architecture, constructed of wood with a large first floor, smaller second floor, and even smaller third floor. Neither floor is exactly square or rectangular, with curved edge corners (almost like something drawn by Dr. Seuss). All of the windows are of peculiar sizes as well.

The group enters the building, finding the interior as odd as the exterior. The main room is approximately 60 by 75 feet in size, and visually looks almost like the interior of a large tree. The walls are all paneled with large cut out sections of trees, fitted together in jigsaw puzzle fashion, with no visible nails. The custom built windows are fitted into openings between the sections of wood. All furniture, cups, and plates are also made of hard wood. There are eight tables of various size, with between two and six chairs at each. Three of the tables are currently occupied by elves. Also in the room are four curved benches arranged in a circle. Six elves are sitting on the benches, listening to a storytelling standing in the center. There is a staircase going to the second floor, as well as two ladders heading up to trapdoors in the ceiling.

Looking around the room, there does not appear to be anyone in charge. The trio of elves head over to the benches to listen to the storyteller. He is telling a story about a great adventure, and appears to be reaching the climax. The end of the story is a great disappointment to Aradyn and Mojo, as it concerns finding a rare orchid. “All that for a flower?” Aradyn comments. “Not just a flower, it was used by Aldorn’s daughter, the wizardess Aldoria, as a magical component,” the storyteller exclaims. The speaker sits, and another elf then stands and tells a story. This story is almost as boring and anti-climactic, although it does have one brief action scene when the elf fights off a pair of kobolds with a dagger. Mojo whispers to Aradyn “We’d better not tell any stories about what we’ve actually done, the excitement would kill them.” “Or at least cause them to faint dead away,” the ranger replies.

The story ends, and a young elvan woman stands up, and then approaches Aradyn, Kharole and Mojo. She introduces herself as an employee, and asks if they would like anything. “About bloody time,” Mojo mutters. Kharole diplomatically explains that they are there to officially greet the foreign guests in the city. The elvan girl says that the three visitors are upstairs, and that she will go and get them. She heads up the stairs, and the three sit at one of the larger tables.

The girl eventually returns, accompanied by pair of elves. The male is the human equivalent of mid-thirties. He is attired in finely made clothing, elvan chain mail, and has an ornate longsword and dagger sheathed on his belt. He is accompanied by an elvan female, human equivalent of early-twenties, attired in a nice but not overly fancy dress. He introduces himself as Lord Lavethalon Silmar of Mengale , and introduces the woman as High Lady Arwen Trean Silmar of Mengale. The Silver Moon Adventurers make their own introductions, with Mojo welcoming them to the continent on behalf of the Queen. The man looks unimpressed, commenting “Yes, a human Queen.”

Kharole asks about what item they are interested in. Arwen says they are seeking one of the gems, known as the Stone of Llyr. With some prompting from her, Lord Silmar gives a history of his Kingdom, explaining how the elvan god bless the elves of Silvanost with twice the normal lifespans of elves. He then explains how the Silvanost elves spurned this gift of the god by allowing humans into the Kingdom, deteriorating the race with tainted blood. He tells of the schism, where the true elves fled from the rotten land, establishing the racially pure land of Mengale.

As the conversation continues the group is surprised to discover that the woman is actually the ranking member of the Mengale group. She mentions that three will be attending the auction, and they ask to meet the third. She says that the third is her bodyguard, and orders the man to go get him. The elf reluctantly does as instructed. Once he is gone, Arwen explains that “You have to forgive my brother-in-law. He dislikes traveling outside of Mengale and having to mix with other races.” “How is it that you outrank him?” Kharole asks. She explains that she inherited the position of High Lady from her father, who was a High Lord of Mengale. She adds that “The other High Lords and High Ladies consider myself to be too young and inexperienced to work alone, which is why they sent my late husband’s brother along as a chaperone.

Lord Silmar returns, being followed by a half-elf, which the elf is walking in front of and attempting to ignore. The half-elf is introduced as Ross. He is wearing worn armor, and has a sword that appears functional rather than ornamental. Aradyn whispers to Mojo “They must use half-elves as fodder.” Mojo replies “Yeah, I’m surprised he isn’t wearing a red shirt.” All three members of the Silver Moon enthusiastically welcome Ross, and insist that he join them for drinks at the table. The half-elf does so, which seems to annoy Lord Silmar while amusing Arwen.

 

[Kriskrafts]

Chapter 18, “Trailing the Statue Thieves”, July 5th, 1019, 4:00 P.M.

After leaving the Ancient Keep, the group comprised of Fiona, Narg, Serita and Timothy decide to continue with the investigation of the missing statue. Serita comments that “I hit the metal armor of that Norbert and Porter pretty hard with temperature spells, and am sure that I caused some severe frostbite.” Narg says “Great, We’ll just set up a ‘Free Frostbite Clinic’, and see who shows up.” “A frostbite clinic? In July?” Timothy comments. “So any takers will probably be them,” Narg replies.

Serita tells Narg that he is thinking along the right lines, and they should check out churches, since the men would have sought healing. They being with the Ukko cathedrals, first in the inner city then the outer city, but neither were visited by the men. From there they head over to an area of assorted churches located in the northern section of the west outer city, not far from the river.

They continue from church to church, with the various clergy all being very forthcoming given Serita’s Jawlt Council position as Minister of Religions. In the church of the Greek Pantheon they find out that the injured men had come there for healing the previous evening. The one who meets the description of Norbert did all of the talking, using an alias of Rollins. They had told the cleric that they were injured in a warehouse accident while unloading blocks of ice. When asked where the men went next they are told “Straight towards the river, by the docks.”

A short walk brings them to where several river barges are docked. The approach the office building for the “Thenossian River Barge Company. The manager on duty is a muscular female human with short gray hair, who is wearing a plaid shirt and overalls. “Let’s go talk to Butch,” Narg comments. “Probably best not to call her that,” Fiona states. She introduces herself as Sharra, and is not very forthcoming with information until after Narg hands her a gold piece. She then tells him “Yeah, I think I may have seen a couple of guys who looked like that heading down to the River Ferry.

They next approach the Ferry, which is at its own dock near the fork in the river. The Ferry is rather small, built for passengers rather than livestock and cargo. The proprietor is a man named O’Leary, a human in his late twenties. He asks if they wish to cross to either the east outer city or the inner city. They ask about Norbert and Porter. The man very quickly tells them that he did indeed ferry them across the river the previous evening. “Where did you take them to?” Narg asks. “Over to a small ship belonging to a member of the Jawlt Council,” is his reply. “JAWLT COUNCIL!” Serita exclaims. O’Leary says “Yes, the ship belonged to Sir Phillip, the Minister of Commerce. He was apparently waiting for them, and headed upriver for the city of Curigull as soon as they boarded.” Serita asks if O’Leary actually saw Sir Phillip on board. He says “No, but he was probably below deck. It was definitely his ship.”

They decide that Melito needs to be told about this immediately, and head back to the Lordholder’s Castle. When they arrive they run into their party member Furynick, who is at the castle discussing security arrangements with the army (and thereby giving Mojo’s player an NPC to play). The five of them meet privately with Melito, bringing him up to date.

Melito says that he is familiar with why Sir Phillip was heading upriver, stating “A merchant wanted to cut down a huge oak tree north of the city to use as a mast for a new merchant ship, but the druids north of the city objected, saying that its removal would destroy a delicate eco-system. The merchant appealed to Sir Phillip, who remembered seeing another giant oak near the river between Jawltorn and his home city of Curigull, and proposed that the merchant use that one instead. He is taking the merchant upriver to look at the tree.”

“But why did he just happen to wait to take those two thieves with him?” asks Serita. “And could Sir Phillip be working with the gnome?” Timothy asks. Melito replies “That is very curious. Phillip’s older brother was Kindor’s processor Lord Kohlorahdooh, who may have been the one to assemble the jewelry collection to begin with. On the other had, I would think that he would want the jewelry auction to happen, as he is in favor of both the hospital construction and the arrival of wealthy foreigners who he can negotiate trade arrangements with.”

“There’s only one way to find out,” Serita states. They head to a part of the castle with a fountain, and Serita casts a Reflecting Pool spell, locating Sir Phillips ship upriver. Sir Phillip is sitting in a lounge chair on the top deck, next to a plump gentleman and a pair of young ladies. “That man is the merchant wanting the ship mast,” Melito adds. Neither Norbert or Porter as visible, although Fiona adds “They may be below deck.” The group also notices that the ship is now sailing with the current rather than against it, meaning that it is returning to the city. “Should we wait for him to get back?” Timothy asks. “No,” Serita decides, and she orders the others into the Bag of Holding. She tells Melito “We’ll bring whoever is responsible back here for you to question.” She then teleports away.

 

[Kriskrafts]

Chapter 19, “Caught”, July 5th, 1019, 5:30 P.M.

Sir Phillip is a wealthy bard and politician, serving as a City Lord of Curigull and on the Jawlt Council as Minister of Commerce. On this pleasant summer evening he is on a leisurely sail back to Jawltorn, accompanied by a merchant friend, Lord Langdon, and a pair of female companions. They have just finished dining on a seafood banquet, and are finishing off their third bottle of fine wine when the evening is interrupted by the druid Serita teleporting immediately before the bard.

Phillip jumps to his feet as the other three guests sit in shock. “What is going on?” the bard yells. Ignoring him, Serita holds a magical bag upside down, and begins to shake it. Out from the bag tumble her four companions, Fiona, Furynick, Narg and Timothy.

Phillip’s face turns beat red with anger, and he yells to Serita “You Silver Mooners have gone too far this time! I don’t know what your druid friends told you, but my friend has every right to acquire an oak to use as a mast. He agreed to leave the one near the city alone, you can’t keep him from getting another one.” Furynick lights a cigar, handing it to Phillip, and says “If you think this visit is about a tree you can guess again.” Narg adds “Yeah, I wouldn’t even bother getting out of bed just to talk about a tree.”

“Where are Norbert and Porter?” Serita demands. “I dropped them off a few hours ago. Why do you ask?” Phillip asks. “Where?” Narg asks. “Upriver, near the tree, and I asks again, why do you want to know?” the bard states, more emphatically than before. “Turn this ship around now!” Serita demands. Phillip calls for the ship Captain, and instructs him to drop anchor. “I said turn it around!” Serita yells. “Not until I find out what is going on,” is Phillip’s response.

“Get everyone topside, and we’ll explain,” Narg states. Once the ship is stopped, Phillip calls the seven crewmembers to gather around him. Fiona and Timothy head below deck, where she casts Detect Magic and Detect Invisibility spells. Timothy heads back up to inform Narg that nobody else is below, while Fiona remains behind to look for the statue.

Sir Phillip is questioned. He tells them that Norbert and Porter had asked him for a ride upriver, having business to conduct in Curigull. He told them he was only going half-way to Curigull, which they said was acceptable. “Wait, how did you know those guys?” Timothy asks. The bard replies “I’m the Jawlt Minister of Trade. They work for a merchant named Rollins, he’s one of the main importers and exporters of goods to the city. Rollins needed them to go to Curigull on an important errand.” Timothy checks Phillip’s aura, telling the others “He is telling the truth as he knows it.”

Narg tells Phillip “They lied to you. Rollins fired them, and you then helped them skip town with stolen property.” “What was stolen?” Phillip asks, now rather concerned. “One of the items for the auction,” Serita states, and then asks “Did they have anything with them.” Phillip says “Yes, they each had a small trunk. Oh my!” Fiona returns, telling the group “It’s not below deck.” He orders the crew to get the ship turned around, telling the party “We dropped them off two hours ago, but we are now going against the current, so it will probably take three hours to get back there.” “Faster with my help,” states Serita, who summons up a Control Winds spell, causing gusts up to 35 miles-per-hour which gets the ship back to the drop off point in half the amount of time.

They reach the area where the giant oak can be see a few thousand miles to the East. Phillip is told to keep the ship anchored there until they get back. Only then do they realize that they do not have anyone with tracking skills along. Fortunately, having a Ranger proves to be unnecessary, as there is a very visible trail caused by the men dragging the trunks. Serita says “I’m going aerial,” and orders the three men into the Bag of Holding. The druid then transforms into a pegasus, who Fiona fixes a makeshift saddle and barding onto.

Fiona is experienced with riding a pegasus of her own so has no difficulty riding, as Serita flies north along the river bank, keeping the trail in view. About an hour later it is starting to get dark, and the trail is harder to see. Fiona says “We don’t want to use a light source, as they will see us coming. They’re not expecting us, and probably stopped for the night. Why don’t you fly up and we can look for a campfire.”

This works, with smoke and flame being seen around a mile to the north. Serita flies on until they near the camp, then landing and having Fiona let the three men out of the bag. The women then fly on, to come in from the other direction. They see the both men beside the fire cooking up some supper, and using the two trunks as chairs. Serita nods, confirming they are the two men she had fought.

The two men are then ambushed from all sides, with Narg and Furynick charging out of the woods from the south and east, Fiona moving in from the north, and Serita flying in above the river to the west. Timothy stays in reserve to cast a Hold Person spell if necessary. The men immediately surrender.

The trunks are unlocked. One appears to be filled with coins. The other has some clothing and three bottles of good whiskey. Eyeing the whiskey, Narg comments “That’s even better than the statue.” Still in pegasus form, Serita kicks over both trunks to confirm that they are real rather than illusionary, and that the statue isn’t hidden beneath. In the process she smashes all three bottles which causes both Narg and Furynick to cry out in anguish.

The men are questioned at sword point, telling them that the gnome was named Wobblewick, and that he met them at the inn known as the Merchant’s Secret. They say that he was given the statue the previous afternoon. Narg says “A name like Wobblewick sounds made up and silly, so it is probably real.” Timothy states that he believes they are telling the truth, but it is hard to tell as they are both extremely scared. This fear increases as Serita transforms back into her regular form, and they recognize her from the day before. She threatens them, causing them to tell her what little they know about the gnome, mainly that he is both an illusionist and rogue.

 

[Kriskrafts]

Game #6 - 3/09/03

Chapter 20, “Meetings at the Lordholder’s Castle”, July 5th, 1019, 8:15 P.M.

The two prisoners are tied and bound, then put into the bag of holding. Serita transforms into a small while dragon as the others pile into the bag. She then flies south for an hour until she reaches where Sir Phillip’s ship is docked. The others exit the bag for some fresh air, and inform Sir Phillip that the men have been caught, and did not have the statue with them. He says he will sail back to Jawltorn at dawn. The others get back into the Bag of Holding, as Serita then uses her ring to teleport back to Kindor’s castle.

She arrives inside of one of the main dining room, causing the guards to be immediately concerned. A group of six soldiers charge her, weapons drawn. As she is used to teleporting into this castle in the form of an animal, the color white being the signal that she is really Serita, so she is not overly concerned. It does not occur to her that these are not the regular castle guards who are aware of this, but are instead members of the Jawlt Army brought in for added protection. Thankfully, the lieutenant in charge is smart enough to converse with her instead of just attacking. She orders him to go get either Tenbar or Kindor.

Tenbar finally arrives, telling the troops to stand down. The others are let out of the Bag of Holding, with both Narg and Lannon chiding Serita for almost getting herself killed. Tenbar adds “Yeah, do you know how much trouble these men would have been in for killing the Lordholder’s girlfriend?” They tell Tenbar that the two prisoners are caught, and currently in the bag of holding. He has them go down to the second sub-basement of the castle, where the castle’s dungeons are located. The men are locked into a cell.

Melito arrives, and is updated by the party Serita comments “I don’t know if you can get more information out these guys than we did?” The former head of the Jawltorn Thief and Assassins Guild smiles at that comment, and adds “I might be able to.” He chooses not to say anything further due to the presence of Timothy, the lawful good cleric of Ukko. Tenbar mentions to Serita that Kindor would probably be available again for dinner with him. She is excited about this, and departs. Furynick mumbles “Not fair, Mojo wouldn’t allow me to get any.” The others return to the auction house.

An absurd amount of game time is then taken up when the DM wants to know which rooms of the auction house the different party members are staying in. “After all this preparation, you’d better attack us!” on player comments. The group then gets upset when the DM rolls some dice and announces that “The night passes uneventfully.” A players revolt is quelled when the DM informs them that this level of detail will be needed at some point.

July 6th, 1019, 7:00 A.M.

The morning begins as the prior two, with the construction detail continuing work on the catwalk and upper window bars. The only difference this morning is that Narg and Furynick have paid the clerics to throw continuous Silence spells into the room that they are staying in, to allow them to sleep late. About an hour later Serita wanders in, with a smile on her face from ear to ear. Mojo comments “Who would have ever thought that she’d be even more annoying and insufferable when she’s happy and relaxed.”

The group discusses what to do about the missing statue. Mojo suggests that they sculpt a replica of it out of Spam, since “It’s not like its going to ever go bad.” They reject the ‘Spam’ idea, but contemplate making a replica. Lannon comments that having any fakes could call into question the legitimacy of the entire auction. They decide that they need to talk to Kindor about.

The group of Kharole, Lannon, Mojo, Serita and Timothy arrive in their carriage at the Lordholder’s Castle. They join Kindor in the dining room, where he is having breakfast with his military leaders Tenbar and Waller. Melito soon joins them. They ask if he found anything more from the prisoners. He replies “Yes. This gnome Wobblewick met Norbert and Porter at an inn called the Merchant’s Secret, which is just down the street from where you are staying. The gnome also had working with him a female human spellcaster and a male mostly-human, but part-elvan, fighter. They didn’t know the names of the other two.” “We’ll check that place out later,” is Lannon’s comment.

Waller says that King Matthan has left his ship twice, both times to visit with his friends the Khorrams. He says that the Khorrams are staying, much to his surprise, at the Fox Square Tavern. That particular tavern and inn is located on the main road in the west outer city, rather than them having chosen one of the fancier lodgings in the inner city. Serita says that it sounds suspicious, and that they should check it out. Lannon suggests “Why go to that effort, let’s just kill them all and blame it on the ILA.” “I like how you think,” Melito comments. “That’s why I’m the Minister of Inherent Priorities,” Lannon replies.

Kindor mentions that two more guests groups will need to be greeted. One is from the Zalpar Lordholding, from the city of Modvicton. That group is comprised of representatives from the Mages Guild and Scholars Guild. Timothy points out that “They don’t like us very much.” Kindor adds “Or me either, even though I was originally from Modvicton. I’ll have Ki-Geloryn take care of that welcome. They also despise him for giving sanctuary to the wizard Derieki, but Ki is enough of a skilled politician to still handle the greeting diplomatically.” “Unlike any of us,” Lannon comments. “Exactly,” is the Lordholder’s reply. “What about Cassie? I would think that with her love of books she would be liked by the Scholars Guild,” Timothy suggests. “Not anymore,” Serita comments, “With the influx of new books from the Orient Cassie now has a bigger library than they do, and they’re jealous.” “Ah yes, library envy,” Mojo comments.

“Who is the other group?” asks Serita. Kindor replies “The rivals of that elvan group you met with yesterday, from the land of Silvanost.” “Oh great, I have to put up with more elvan racists!” Mojo exclaims. “No you don’t, this is the group that likes non-elves, which is why the other group hates them,” Serita comments. Mojo replies “Fine, we’ll go see them after breakfast. Where are they staying?” Melito replies “They didn’t want to be anywhere near the Mengale group, so they avoided the elvan district. They’ve rented the entire Risen Pheonix Inn, a little over a mile to the north of here. It’s near the group of inner-city churches for non-human deities, including a shrine to their elvan god Corellon Larethian,” is Melito’s response.

 

[Silver Moon]

Test post. La la la la la.

 

[Silver Moon]

Chapter 21, “The Elves of Silvanost”, July 6th, 1019, 7:00 A.M.

The carriage arrives at the Risen Phoenix Inn, a rather fancy three story wooden building that appears to be at least two centuries old. The group notes that all of the shutters on the first floor are currently closed, and that a quartet of uniformed elvan fighters are standing in front of the main entrance. As the party walk towards the entrance the elvan fighters move to block their path. Serita tells them “We bring greetings and welcome to the nobles of Silvanost. We are representatives of the Jawlt Lordholder and the Queen of Phlooredah." Three of the elves continue to block the doorway, but one heads inside.

A short while later an armored elf comes to the door. He is attired in elvan chainmail with a steel chest plate, a short cloak, a longsword hanging from his belt, and a shield on his arm. His face and appearance is rather youthful, and some of the party are surprised when he introduces himself as Lord Khelandros, a Knight of Silvanost. Mojo mutters to Kharole “A bit young for a Lord and Knight isn’t he?” She whispers back “Remember, these are very long-lived elves. He is probably a lot older than you think.” Serita repeats the line about greeting the rulers of Silvanost, and the party are admitted into the building.

As they cross through the main lobby of the inn they see a number of armed elves seated at various tables and chairs throughout the ground floor. They are led into a private dining room located in the center of the ground floor. Inside the room are a number of chairs. Also in the room standing at attention are two more elvan fighters, one male and one female, who are attired identically to Khelandros. There are a number of chairs in the room, but the party wisely chooses to remain standing.

Shortly thereafter a pair of well-dressed elves enter the room. The first is an elvan female wearing an elaborate dress. She looks to be the human equivalent of being in her late teenage years. Behind her is the oldest elf any of the party have ever seen, being the human equivalent of over a century. Khelandros announces “May I introduce to you Queen Vanya, the Fifth Ruler of Silvanost, and her father King Elufin, the Fourth Ruler of Silvanost.” Each of the party members introduce themselves, stating their official titles, and welcome the Silvanost rulers to Jawltorn, followed by information about the bidders dinner and asking if there is anything special that is required.

A very long pause follows, after which Khelandros asks, “Would there be any other information that you feel would be important to share with us?” Serita says that she is uncertain what they mean. Khelandros continues “The safety and protection of our leaders is of paramount importance to the Knights of Silvanost. I would have expected you to have shared with that a renowned group of international assassins are arriving in the city, with bidders as their targets. We are greatly disturbed that you have chosen to keep this information to yourself.” Serita counters with “We were planning to inform you of this as we got closer to the auction date. We have no intention of allowing the ILA to interfere with the auction of its invited guests.”

It appears obvious that Khelandros and his two fellow Knights do not believe her. He states “We will see to it that our leaders are properly protected. To ensure this protection, for the remainder of our stay in the city no one will be admitted to this building. Good day to you.”

Serita counters with “You appear to know much about this assassin group. Do you have any information you would like to provide to us to help us with the protection of your leaders?” He replies “We find it too coincidental that both the Mengale elves and assassin group are here at the same time. If these assassins seek to do harm to our leaders it would be at the bidding of those from Mengale. I would direct you to keep a close eye on the Mengale contingent, as they have a long history of untrustworthiness. That they are here in the city, seeking what is rightfully ours, is but one example of their treachery.”

Serita answers “The rightful ownership of any item will be determined on the 12th and 13th. Until then, such ownership is neither for Silvanost or Mengale to say. Attempts by anyone to remove the items from their present owner will be viewed as a hostile act.” Queen Vanya interjects “It is the at the hands of Mengale that Silvanost elves have died before, and I doubt they would have any reluctance to killing anyone who is between them and what they seek.” Kharole attempts to break the tension that has been building in the room by interjecting “Come now, lets not bicker and argue about who’s going to kill who.” Kharole follows the comment up with a tactfully worded but slightly sarcastic speech, again welcoming the elves to the city, and inviting them to partake in the hospitality that the city has to offer.” “I think enough has been said,” Vanya states, and she exits the room followed by her father and the female Knight.

The other two Knights lead the Silver Moon adventurers to the front door, and abruptly shut it behind them. “My, what a friendly group!” Mojo comments. Lannon says, “Yeah, I think we’ve figured out what item will bring in the most money at this auction.” “And which item to put up to bid last,” Serita adds.

[DM’s note to readers (but not players): The history and background of these elvan groups (and two other guest groups yet to be introduced) can be found on the EN World Plots & Places thread “Kingdoms of the Elves and Dwarves”, which can be found at the following link : http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31874

 

[Silver Moon]

Chapter 22, “Inquiries and More Guests”, July 6th, 1019, 10:00 A.M.

Heading back to the auction house, the group decides stops at the tavern where Porter and Norbert had been hired. There are two similarly named taverns on the same street, one called the Merchants Manor and the other called the Merchant’s Secret, and there is some debate as to which one Melito had named. Timothy consults his notes, stating that it is the Merchant’s Secret. They decide to park their carriage outside of the other one. Lannon chooses to watch the back door, with Kharole sending her hawk familiar aloft to also watch the building. The other four then enter.

The building is a large two-story wooden structure. While the first floor is mostly one large room, it is sectioned off into private cubical areas surrounded by low walls. Each dining cubical has solid leather-bound wooden furniture. The tavern is itself is very dark, with dark curtains over the exterior windows allowing in a minimal amount of light, and the only area with any real light being a desk area near the bar. Each cubical also has an adjustable lantern, but none are currently lit. The building is presently without customers, with the only two employees visible in the building. One is a middle-aged human, who appears to be the manager and/or head waiter. The other is a tough-looking half-orc fighter who is leaning on the far wall behind the bar, who the group concludes is the bouncer.

The human approaches the four, and asks if they would like a table. He shows them to a nearby table, lights the lantern, and hands both Mojo and Timothy a rectangular-sized leather pad with parchment attached, which is a wine list. They order two bottles of a moderately priced wine, and the waiter exits. He returns with the wine and glasses, and then hands menus to both men to review. Serita is a bit miffed at being ignored. Timothy comments “I think the waiter thinks ill of you two.” Serita says “Should I take him out now?” Mojo says “I think he thinks you are working girls.” “With a cleric of Ukko?” Kharole exclaims. The waiter returns, and Mojo exercises an extreme amount of tact and diplomacy by ordering salads for everyone, rather than a meat dish which would further irritate Serita.

They eat, and decide how to proceed. A group of four businessmen enter, and are shown to another table. Kharole suggests that the bouncer would probably have the most information, as they see everything. Timothy comments “Yes, but would he tell us anything?” Mojo says “Why don’t I try to find out.” Kharole suggests “Why don’t you start talking to him, and I’ll cast an ESP spell to find out what he is really thinking when you ask him about these guys.”

The follow through on the plan. Mojo approaches the bar and begins to engage the bouncer in conversation as Kharole discreetly casts her ESP spell and then approaches the bar. The bouncer is shown the picture of the gnome, with Mojo saying “His name is Wobblewick. I think that may be a nickname given to him by his wife.” The bouncer confirms that “He was in here a few days ago. I don’t know his name, and never saw him before that day.” Mojo asks about the gnomes companions, who the half-orc is vague about.” Mojo attempts to put some gold pieces on the table, which the half-orc ignores. Mojo gets less subtle, loudly dropping more coins, which the half-orc makes no attempt to take. Mojo tells of the crime that the gnome committed, adding that “He tried to frame the merchant Rollins.” Kharole finally manages to get Mojo to stop. The two return to their table.

“Pretty stupid guy,” Mojo comments. “Not really,” says Kharole. “He wouldn’t take any of my money,” Mojo replies. “That’s because he thought you were trying to trap him. Orc types aren’t exactly trusting of elves in military uniforms.” “What else did you pick up?” Serita asks. Kharole says “He knew the names Porter and Norbert, but wasn’t going to tell that to Mojo. He didn’t know the names of Wobblewick’s other two companions, but I now have a rough visual of them from the half-orc’s memory.”

The waiter returns, and the group talk to him directly about what they are after. The waiter is hesitant to say anything, asking “Does Rollins know that you are here asking questions about his workers?” Timothy says “He knows we are investigating this matter.” Serita says “And they don’t work for him anymore. Rollins fired them.” “Nor is Kindor likely to let them out of his dungeon anytime soon,” Mojo adds. The waiter doesn’t provide much more information. As he walks away Mojo suggests “Why don’t I go beat up both of these guys until they decide to talk?” The others talk him out of that plan, and they leave. Lannon and the hawk rejoin the others.

Shortly before noon the party gets word that a very large ship is heading towards the city, and requests that a greeting party head down to the docks. The same group of five from the morning head down there, joining with the naval commander Waller. The ship is indeed huge, larger and longer than any ship they have ever seen before. Serita comments that “Something about that vessel looks familiar." It enters the harbor, and drops anchor in the harbor not far from the merchant docks, as none of the available docking berths are large enough to accommodate the ship.

The party recognizes the two flags that the ship is flying. One is the flag of the Spindrift Island Chain, and the other is the flag of Lendore Island. “That’s where we purchased our main ship, the Silver Moon,” Timothy comments. Mojo adds “Right. We rescued that ship merchant from slaves last year who was from there.” Serita adds “Yes, and when I brought him home his company was in the process of constructing a ship like that in its dry dock.”

The five party members wander over towards the dock where the longboat is being rowed. In addition to the eight crewmembers rowing the boat they see eight passengers and a pile of luggage inside. They recognize two of the eight, the aforementioned merchant Laughlin, and a very arrogant half-elf fighter who they had also rescued from slavers. The other six consist of three human males, a female elf and two halflings.

As the party approaches Laughlin hops off from the boat and enthusiastically runs up to the group, saying “Serita! Friends! It is so good to see you again.” He gives Serita a hug, and Mojo asks “What brings you to our fair city.” “Why the auction of course,” he states. “Any item in particular?” Serita asks. He replies “Why yes. There is a jeweled ship model inside of a egg that I am intrigued about.” The party notice that the half-elf has approached. He is wearing pressed silk clothing, with a sword on his belt that is ornamental rather than functional. Laughlin says “You remember Travaris Pace.” The half-elf gives the party a distasteful look, then ignores the Silver Moon Adventurers, telling Laughlin “I will get us a carriage to take us to the lodgings.” Serita interjects “And what auction item are you interested in Travaris?” “That is not information that I wish to share,” he replies, and walks away, supervising the unloading of several chests from the longboat.

“Very rude,” is Kharole’s comment. Mojo adds “Yeah, same as before. We should have left him with the slavers.” “So what item is he after?” Serita asks Laughlin. “Damned if I know,” the ship merchant replies “His father asked me to keep an eye on the boy. We’ll be staying at the Merchants Manor. Come by some time and I’ll treat you to dinner and drinks.” Two crewmembers follow after Travaris with his and Laughlin’s luggage.

The group notices the other six passengers now exiting from the longboat, and asks “Who is that group?” Laughlin answers “Two groups actually. They were on a ship coming to the auction that docked at Lendore Island. They decided to travel the rest of the way with me instead, as my ship was faster, and I offered to match the price the other ship was charging.” “Especially since you were coming here anyway,” Lannon comments.

An older human and old halfling break away from the other four. The two are wearing rather average clothing, and do not appear to have any luggage other than a small pack with each. Laughlin says “The human calls himself Baron Te’Col, the halfling is his valet, and neither are very sociable. All that I know about them is that they are from a place called Northern Tiaga.” Timothy attempts to detect the alignment from both as they pass by. The human’s aura is inconclusive, although Timothy gets the impression that he is not good-aligned. When Timothy attempts to detect the aura of the halfling he gets a psionic attack in response, causing temporary damage. Timothy relates this to the others, with Lannon and Kharole deciding to follow this pair at a discreet distance.

The remainder of the luggage is offloaded from the boat, and appears to belong to the other quartet of guests. There are several trunks of various sizes, two chests that appear to be rather heavy requiring multiple men to move each, and three custom-made instrument cases that appear to house a lute, a flute, and a full-sized harp.

The other four then exit from the longboat. They approach Laughlin and the party. Laughlin makes introductions, referring to Mojo, Serita and Timothy as “Old friends of mine and noble adventurers who did me a great service last year.” The guests are introduced as coming from the Kingdom of Greenvale. The younger human male is introduced as Prince Taran, heir to the throne. The older human male is introduced as Dmitri, a wizard and Baron of Greenlake. Dmitri explains that Greenlake is one of six baronies that comprise Greenvale. The halfling is introduced as Ganellon Tucker, the Treasurer of Greenvale. The elf introduces herself as Deniana Songweaver, a bard of the kingdom.

Serita inquires as to what items are of interest to them. Deniana says “There are a pair of pendants, each of which ties in with the history of our land. Please feel free to join us some night for dinner and I will be happy to sing you the tales.” “And where will you be staying?” Mojo asks. “I have no idea. Where would you suggest?” the Prince asks. “Hopefully somewhere where good music is appreciated,” Deniana comments. Timothy says “There are a few good inns near the Bards Guild you may want to try. Either the Wandering Dancer or the Apples and Harp Tavern.” They thank the Silver Moon for the information, and head off to find some transportation.

The group returns to the auction house, where they wait nearly two hours for Kharole and Lannon to return. The two get back, with Lannon complaining about too much walking. It seems that the old human and halfling traveled on foot all the way to the north outer city, to the bakery district, where they found lodgings at the Cracked Biscuit Inn. Both Lannon and Kharole decided not to enter the building, in case the two they were followed recognized them from the docks. Mojo says “Yeah, we can send some others from our group to check them out later.”