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<blockquote data-quote="Galfridus" data-source="post: 93110" data-attributes="member: 119"><p><strong>Episode 19: "'Of course you can sleep in our barn.'"</strong></p><p></p><p>Several months back, the party spent a harrowing night encamped on a haunted hill. Many spirits appeared, but by far the most sinister was that of a short, stocky man dressed in black robes. His eyes glow a deep red, the same color as the ruby set into the silver scythe pendant hung around his neck. He said many things, but one passage caught the party's interest:</p><p></p><p>"Your land would have known peace, north and south, but for one of your own. Loxham, Blaumere, Darkridge alike, all betrayed. In victory you sow the seeds of a greater defeat. Your bright songs of triumph mean nothing when a larger evil lurks among you."</p><p></p><p><strong>Flanesville, March 3, LE 654</strong></p><p></p><p>With the help of a <em>Wind Walk</em>, the party crosses the river. Their horses are more than a little dubious about walking on top of moving liquid, but with some deft handling from Elbryn and Jonetello, they manage. </p><p></p><p>South of the river lies a rough, hilly section of Wassan, dotted with tiny villages and trails. Jonetello knows the area and cannot recall any paths nearby, so the party takes a southeasterly course, climbing a low hill and hoping to reach the Leston Road within a couple days. As they near the top of the hill, Magnimiliar notices a small hole carved into a nearby snowbank. "Somebody's watching us," he whispers to the party. Everyone readies their weapons.</p><p></p><p>Moments later, a dozen armed men burst into sight, rising out of the snow or from behind cleverly crafted blinds. "Freeze, Rebel!" commands one of them...but there's a smile on his face as he regards Jonetello. "Raph-ah, perhaps I didn't catch your name," he amends hastily. </p><p></p><p>Jonetello returns the grin. "It's Jonetello," he says, then turns to his comrades. "This is Kel Greenleaf," he says, then introduces Kel to the members of the party. Once that is done, he addresses Alamar. "You are the only one who doesn't know - my real name is Raphael Greweled, Defender of Loxham." (The Defenders were a small group devoted to the protection of the Loxham family; while officially disbanded, they form the core of the Rebellion against the Blaumeres.) </p><p></p><p>Kel addresses Jonetello. "If your friends are...of like mind, then you are welcome to come with me. If not, then I must suggest that you find a different route." </p><p></p><p>Jonetello laughs. "They are not all with us, but they are no friends of the Blaumeres."</p><p></p><p>"Fair enough," replies Kel. He leads the party over the hill and into a thick forest. Several hours later, they arrive at a main camp of the Rebellion. At least two hundred people dwell here, training and preparing for the next move against those who executed their lawful leader. "We haven't done much lately," comments Kel. "With Malefice acting up, everyone's worried that any move against the Blaumeres would just play into his hands. Not that I mind staying out of harm's way, but some of the brave lads are getting a bit impatient. But...first the Knight Commander, and then this fellow Rose. I don't know what he's up to-"</p><p></p><p>"...actually, we were responsible for Rose," interjects Jonetello. "He had nothing to do with Malefice - in fact, he seems to represent a new faction, one that is apparently planning something big." </p><p></p><p>"You wrote the note?" asks Kel. Jonetello nods. Kel chuckles. "Clever. Well - even if it's just the Knight Commander, nobody knows who is going to replace him. Some say the Count will name one of his kin to make sure the job's done right, some think he'll put in someone as useless and unrelated as possible, since he'll probably get his guts torn out as well. He'll have to name someone soon, so they have time to take stock of the situation before spring."</p><p></p><p>Magnimiliar chimes in. "Say, do you have a wizard here who could identify a couple items for us?"</p><p></p><p>"Sure thing," says Kel, "though you'll have to pay standard rates. Rebellions don't come cheap." Magnimiliar nods his agreement. Kel turns toward a largish tent. "Hey Frank! Come over here!" A tall man in dark blue robes strides from the tent and toward the party. "This is Frank the Diviner. Frank, these guys need some stuff identified...you know, magically." Kel wiggles his fingers dramatically.</p><p></p><p>Frank gives Kel a bored look. "It's Farankin," he says to the party in a tired voice. "How many items?" </p><p></p><p>"Three," says Magnimiliar. "A sword, a suit of leather armor, and a charm." </p><p></p><p>"That's one casting of the spell, a hundred and fifty gold. I'll start casting tomorrow, have the results mid-afternoon." </p><p></p><p>The party spend the next day and a half resting. Jonetello performs "Bloodmoor's Folly" and "Bloodmoor Besieged" - everyone in the camp save the sentries (hopefully) listens and cheers wildly as Count "Bloodmoor" gets what's coming to him. </p><p></p><p>Farankin identifies the items turned over by the group: a +1 Long sword, +2 Leather armor, and a rather complex charm. "It produces an effect similar to the divine Sending spell," explains Frank, "but the destination seems to be pre-determined, and I can't tell what the destination is. The spell does not feel like anything I've examined before; it's probably a personally-researched spell. The effect works once a day; just say the command word and think your message. No more than twenty five words. If it's like Sending, the recipient can respond."</p><p></p><p>The party confers about this item for a while: whether they should use it, destroy it, or just hold onto it. In the end, Thorald decides to give it a shot. He dons the charm, speaks the command word, and thinks:</p><p></p><p>"Rose is dead; we are coming for you next." </p><p></p><p>After a delay of several minutes, a reply echoes in Thorald's mind:</p><p></p><p>"<em>Zis ket. Kath Sissex Da?</em>"</p><p></p><p>The words and accent are strange to Thorald, so strange he is unable to repeat them accurately afterward. </p><p></p><p>During this down-time, Kel comes to the party with a problem. It concerns Lewis Longbons, a Defender who has spent the years since the Count's execution trying to discover the truth of what happened. "He came here last fall with a theory - and you know how he is about his ideas. The way he tells it, it wasn't the real Count that was executed, just an impostor!" Kel continues as Jonetello looks unconvinced. "Yeah, I know, but he was all sure of himself. As far as I could tell, the only real evidence he had is that when they put him on trial, they asked his name before casting the truth spells. Lewis said the adjudicators didn't ask some standard questions, stuff you always ask when magic is involved." Kel pauses for breath. "Anyway, to the real problem. After telling me all this, he says that he was looking into the people who were killed, the ones that the Count was supposed to have sacrificed. Some were prisoners in Leston Keep, and the others came from Leston Road, right? Well, seems one fellow, Jim Trellens, was actually on the Bog Road out of Leston, way the other side of town. Lewis started poking around, and found out the guy was looking for a farm owned by a couple named Lonnenham. Figures it's worth a look, so being Lewis, he does the legwork to find it. Turns out it's maybe a day's walk from Leston. Lewis takes off to go see the place and never comes back - and it's been months now. After a month or so, I send a couple of the boys down there to check it out...they don't come back neither! I can't waste any more guys. Do you think you could check it out?"</p><p></p><p>The party doesn't need long to decide. They want to head to Merelin by way of Sygwerdan's lands, and this isn't too far out of the way. "Sure, we'll take a look," says Jonetello. The next day, they depart the Rebellion camp and make for the Leston Road and the Lonnenham farm.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Galfridus, post: 93110, member: 119"] [b]Episode 19: "'Of course you can sleep in our barn.'"[/b] Several months back, the party spent a harrowing night encamped on a haunted hill. Many spirits appeared, but by far the most sinister was that of a short, stocky man dressed in black robes. His eyes glow a deep red, the same color as the ruby set into the silver scythe pendant hung around his neck. He said many things, but one passage caught the party's interest: "Your land would have known peace, north and south, but for one of your own. Loxham, Blaumere, Darkridge alike, all betrayed. In victory you sow the seeds of a greater defeat. Your bright songs of triumph mean nothing when a larger evil lurks among you." [b]Flanesville, March 3, LE 654[/b] With the help of a [i]Wind Walk[/i], the party crosses the river. Their horses are more than a little dubious about walking on top of moving liquid, but with some deft handling from Elbryn and Jonetello, they manage. South of the river lies a rough, hilly section of Wassan, dotted with tiny villages and trails. Jonetello knows the area and cannot recall any paths nearby, so the party takes a southeasterly course, climbing a low hill and hoping to reach the Leston Road within a couple days. As they near the top of the hill, Magnimiliar notices a small hole carved into a nearby snowbank. "Somebody's watching us," he whispers to the party. Everyone readies their weapons. Moments later, a dozen armed men burst into sight, rising out of the snow or from behind cleverly crafted blinds. "Freeze, Rebel!" commands one of them...but there's a smile on his face as he regards Jonetello. "Raph-ah, perhaps I didn't catch your name," he amends hastily. Jonetello returns the grin. "It's Jonetello," he says, then turns to his comrades. "This is Kel Greenleaf," he says, then introduces Kel to the members of the party. Once that is done, he addresses Alamar. "You are the only one who doesn't know - my real name is Raphael Greweled, Defender of Loxham." (The Defenders were a small group devoted to the protection of the Loxham family; while officially disbanded, they form the core of the Rebellion against the Blaumeres.) Kel addresses Jonetello. "If your friends are...of like mind, then you are welcome to come with me. If not, then I must suggest that you find a different route." Jonetello laughs. "They are not all with us, but they are no friends of the Blaumeres." "Fair enough," replies Kel. He leads the party over the hill and into a thick forest. Several hours later, they arrive at a main camp of the Rebellion. At least two hundred people dwell here, training and preparing for the next move against those who executed their lawful leader. "We haven't done much lately," comments Kel. "With Malefice acting up, everyone's worried that any move against the Blaumeres would just play into his hands. Not that I mind staying out of harm's way, but some of the brave lads are getting a bit impatient. But...first the Knight Commander, and then this fellow Rose. I don't know what he's up to-" "...actually, we were responsible for Rose," interjects Jonetello. "He had nothing to do with Malefice - in fact, he seems to represent a new faction, one that is apparently planning something big." "You wrote the note?" asks Kel. Jonetello nods. Kel chuckles. "Clever. Well - even if it's just the Knight Commander, nobody knows who is going to replace him. Some say the Count will name one of his kin to make sure the job's done right, some think he'll put in someone as useless and unrelated as possible, since he'll probably get his guts torn out as well. He'll have to name someone soon, so they have time to take stock of the situation before spring." Magnimiliar chimes in. "Say, do you have a wizard here who could identify a couple items for us?" "Sure thing," says Kel, "though you'll have to pay standard rates. Rebellions don't come cheap." Magnimiliar nods his agreement. Kel turns toward a largish tent. "Hey Frank! Come over here!" A tall man in dark blue robes strides from the tent and toward the party. "This is Frank the Diviner. Frank, these guys need some stuff identified...you know, magically." Kel wiggles his fingers dramatically. Frank gives Kel a bored look. "It's Farankin," he says to the party in a tired voice. "How many items?" "Three," says Magnimiliar. "A sword, a suit of leather armor, and a charm." "That's one casting of the spell, a hundred and fifty gold. I'll start casting tomorrow, have the results mid-afternoon." The party spend the next day and a half resting. Jonetello performs "Bloodmoor's Folly" and "Bloodmoor Besieged" - everyone in the camp save the sentries (hopefully) listens and cheers wildly as Count "Bloodmoor" gets what's coming to him. Farankin identifies the items turned over by the group: a +1 Long sword, +2 Leather armor, and a rather complex charm. "It produces an effect similar to the divine Sending spell," explains Frank, "but the destination seems to be pre-determined, and I can't tell what the destination is. The spell does not feel like anything I've examined before; it's probably a personally-researched spell. The effect works once a day; just say the command word and think your message. No more than twenty five words. If it's like Sending, the recipient can respond." The party confers about this item for a while: whether they should use it, destroy it, or just hold onto it. In the end, Thorald decides to give it a shot. He dons the charm, speaks the command word, and thinks: "Rose is dead; we are coming for you next." After a delay of several minutes, a reply echoes in Thorald's mind: "[i]Zis ket. Kath Sissex Da?[/i]" The words and accent are strange to Thorald, so strange he is unable to repeat them accurately afterward. During this down-time, Kel comes to the party with a problem. It concerns Lewis Longbons, a Defender who has spent the years since the Count's execution trying to discover the truth of what happened. "He came here last fall with a theory - and you know how he is about his ideas. The way he tells it, it wasn't the real Count that was executed, just an impostor!" Kel continues as Jonetello looks unconvinced. "Yeah, I know, but he was all sure of himself. As far as I could tell, the only real evidence he had is that when they put him on trial, they asked his name before casting the truth spells. Lewis said the adjudicators didn't ask some standard questions, stuff you always ask when magic is involved." Kel pauses for breath. "Anyway, to the real problem. After telling me all this, he says that he was looking into the people who were killed, the ones that the Count was supposed to have sacrificed. Some were prisoners in Leston Keep, and the others came from Leston Road, right? Well, seems one fellow, Jim Trellens, was actually on the Bog Road out of Leston, way the other side of town. Lewis started poking around, and found out the guy was looking for a farm owned by a couple named Lonnenham. Figures it's worth a look, so being Lewis, he does the legwork to find it. Turns out it's maybe a day's walk from Leston. Lewis takes off to go see the place and never comes back - and it's been months now. After a month or so, I send a couple of the boys down there to check it out...they don't come back neither! I can't waste any more guys. Do you think you could check it out?" The party doesn't need long to decide. They want to head to Merelin by way of Sygwerdan's lands, and this isn't too far out of the way. "Sure, we'll take a look," says Jonetello. The next day, they depart the Rebellion camp and make for the Leston Road and the Lonnenham farm. [/QUOTE]
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