A Monk, a Wizard, and a Swordmage Walk into a Fallcrest; a 4e Story Now game

[hawkeyefan]

Vorn watches as Lief explains things to the priest. He hadn't witnessed any of the horrors himself, just the aftermath, so he leaves the shifter to it. He heads toward the gate, hoping to ease the situation there and buy Captain Anvilheart more time to bring Lady Markelhay and her Loremaster.

Vorn scrambles up to the ramparts above the gate and looks down. There he sees Kamroth's men and the guards in a bit of a scrum. It doesn't look to have gotten violent yet, but it seems like it could at any moment. He raises his red mask and dons his hood.

"Lord Kamroth'll be here soon , sure enough," says one of the thugs. "And you'll be sure we'll be getting into the keep then." He shoves one of the Moonstone guards back.

Two red-fletched arrows strike the ground at the thug's feet, nearly simultaneously.

Kamroth's men and the guards turn and look to the top of the wall, to see Vorn's hooded figure looking down on them. "When your lord arrives, he can request entry, as anyone else," Vorn rasps as he nocks another arrow. "Until then, you can wait here for him."

The thug is shaken, but looks to his cohorts for support. "You think you can stop all of us, huh?"

"Not sure, really," Vorn says. "But one thing I'm sure of... you won't be around to find out." He raises his bow, drawing slightly. "I guess the question is how curious are your friends to find out."

The thug scowls but raises his hands, and the others all step back. "An' who in the hells are you?"

Vorn smiles beneath his mask. "The Redfletch," he says. "Fallcrest is under my protection."

The thugs back down as the guards murmur about this unexpected ally.

____________

Intent: To try and quell the possible conflict at the gate between Kamroth's men and the Moonstone Keep Guards.

Primary Skill: Intimidate vs. Medium DC 13. r(16) + 6 = 22. SUCCESS.
____________

Complexity 2 SC, Level 3 (DCs 9/13/21)
Goal: Having secured the safety of the merchants and ex-cultist boy as witnesses, along with the Sehanine priest Ressilmae who has heard their testimony in the bailey courtyard of Moonstone Keep, convince the Markelhays to act against Armos Kamroth and The Elect.
2/6 Successes/0 Failures/1 Hard DC Available/2 Secondary Skills Available/0 Advantages available due to Sehanine Priest Ressilmae Starlight/Primary Skill Training exhausted; Religion; Intimidate

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Starn gazes at Vulthrun and given his demeanor and obvious magical prowess decides to find out if he's actually using some sort of lie detecting magic (IE Discern Lies). Starn closes his eyes and senses the flow of magic around Vulthrun. Indeed, with his powerful arcane senses he easily detects the lie detecting magic which the priest is employing, and senses some weaknesses in it.

Secondary skill use, Arcana. Against the easy DC Starn's +13 bonus is automatically successful, granting him a +2 on his next check.

While Starn is obviously no doppleganger, nor in the employ of a dark conspiracy, he is not sure he can count on simple reason to get him out of this predicament. Luckily he has the ability to lace his words with arcane energy, and he begins to do so. As Vulthrun interrogates him, Starn subtley plucks on the strands of the spell, insuring that Vulthrun learns what Starn wants him to learn, that he is indeed trustworthy and should be treated as an ally, not an enemy.

Primary skill use, Bluff, replaced with Arcana by use of Arcane Mutterings. Hard DC(20) for 2x success. Roll is a 12 + 2 + 13 = 27. Success!

Vulthrun thoroughly interrogates Starn, and gradually becomes convinced that the boy wizard is indeed the real thing. Finally he goes to confer with Ernest Padraig and they come to a conclusion, they will release Starn. Padraig kindly has his guard captain help Starn to his feet and hands him his belongings, while saying gruffly "We cannot take anything for granted here. Not only do I doubt your master, but I have heard there is a spy within the Markelhay's employ as well!"

Starn responds that fear and doubt are forever the most potent weapons of the wicked, and indicates that he is simply relieved to be able to make common cause with the people of Winterhaven.

Complexity 3 SC, Level 2 (DCs 9/13/20)
Goal (staged): Rouse the Padraig family from their grief and muster them (5) and Winterhaven itself (8) against Cardinal Erban's heresy and impending coup.
5/8 Successes/2 Failures/1 Hard DC Available/1 Secondary Skills Available/1 Advantages Available/Primary Skill Training exhausted; Diplomacy, Insight, Religion, Bluff

 

[Manbearcat]

STARN & TERJON

Complexity 3 SC, Level 2 (DCs 9/13/20)
Goal (staged): Rouse the Padraig family from their grief and muster them (RESOLVED) and Winterhaven itself (8) against Cardinal Erban's heresy and impending coup.
5/8 Successes/2 Failures/0 Hard DC Available/1 Secondary Skills Available/1 Advantages Available/Primary Skill Training exhausted; Diplomacy, Insight, Religion, Bluff

After vetting Starn's bonafides at the Warrior's Guild, Ernest Padraig declares common cause with the Wizard-apprentice from Fallcrest. Valthrun requests Starn join him at his tower which features the repository of greatest knowledge in Winterhaven and a shrine to Ioun so they might collectively pray to the Goddess of Prophecy for divine insight and to research if there is precedence in the near or deep past of such a Pelor heresy that Cardinal Erban appears to be dabbling in (1).

Meanwhile, Lord Padraig requests Terjon aid he and his Regulars in gathering the entirety of Winterhaven citizenry quickly, putting the requisite fear in them as to what is coming for them, and coming quickly. Lord Padraig and his regulars will rendezvous with Terjon and the citizenry the knight is able to muster back at The Warrior's Guild for outfitting and debriefing of all that will join the cause (2).

------------------

@AbdulAlhazred , you're (1) with Starn and @Grendel_Khan , you're (2) with Terjon. Both are MEDIUM DC.

---

Complexity 2 SC, Level 3 (DCs 9/13/21)
Goal: Having secured the safety of the merchants and ex-cultist boy as witnesses, along with the Sehanine priest Ressilmae who has heard their testimony in the bailey courtyard of Moonstone Keep, convince the Markelhays to act against Armos Kamroth and The Elect.
2/6 Successes/0 Failures/1 Hard DC Available/2 Secondary Skills Available/0 Advantages available due to Sehanine Priest Ressilmae Starlight/Primary Skill Training exhausted; Religion; Intimidate

The large oak door creaks open at the same time the fire in the huge hearth of the Moonstone Keep library roars. After the pair of servants replenish the kindling stores and revive the fire, they hustle out of the room beyond the heroes, the merchants, the ex-cultist boy and the elven priest, but not before a slight gawk at the archer, word already spreading within the castle and beyond of the legendary Redfletch's presence.

The doors groan shut with a thud and clasp with the servants' egress.

The bespectacled Loremaster Seekingstone sits opposite Lady Markelhay on a long table adorned with candles, books, and drinking goblets. The lady, head occupied by her turning of pages in a large tome simply requests all to sit at the ample space of the table.

The Loremaster pales for a moment, his eyes moving from the shifter (knowing full well what that means) to the merchants and boy, and then finally settling on Vorn. (1) He speaks, "Lady Markelhay, if I may, we are trafficking here with a known vigilante...an outlaw if order and jurisprudence in Fallcrest is to mean anything. As one of your primary council, if I might I be so bold to suggest that we immediately take this Redfletch into custody and alert the constabulary?" (2)

She keeps turning pages and reading, the sound of the thick parchment and the fire the only noise of the chamber for several moments until...

"My...my lady," mutters the Loremaster quietly.

---

If you want to read him, engage with (1). That would be MEDIUM DC. If you want to make a follow-on move from that, go ahead and do so (also MEDIUM DC).

But the primary situation here is Loremaster Seekingstone's "council" and the Lady's either absence of a response or her invitation for you to answer his charges yourself. This will be HARD DC.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Starn joins Vulthrun in his archive, excitedly scanning the spines of some of the 1000 or so volumes present there. "Such an archive as this was not known to me, outside of the library of the Septarch's. There is so much I could learn here!"

As he reaches for a highly intriguing volume a plainly dressed young woman appears to smack his hand away. "Oh, yes. My daughter Kira, she keeps these records and maintains a complete index. You will find it wise to go through her when you need to access anything!"

Flustered, Starn stammers out a request for information related to the Tower of Waiting. "You will have to be more specific than that Mr. Starn, although our information on topics relevant to Fallcrest is somewhat limited, I have 3 volumes which might be relevant. Please make your requests more specific!" The young lady scolds Starn, who is now entirely undone.

Vulthrun comes to the rescue and says; "Kira, I believe what Starn wants is information about the Order which was based there, its relationship to what is now the Temple of Pelor in Winterhaven, and such. I would suggest starting with giving him Korren's Rituals of the Orders of Pelor to get him started..."

Kira wordlessly turns and moves off into the stacks, leaving Starn gazing after her in puzzlement momentarily, until Vulthrun interrupts him. "She'll be back later with the volumes we need, never fear, but now it would behoove us to pray to Ioun for guidance!"

Expending the remaining advantage to refresh the use of Religion, and making a medium DC(13) religion check to perform the correct Ritual of Seeking Guidance of Ioun. Rolling a 5 + 11 = 16, Success!

Complexity 3 SC, Level 2 (DCs 9/13/20)
Goal (staged): Rouse the Padraig family from their grief and muster them (RESOLVED) and Winterhaven itself (8) against Cardinal Erban's heresy and impending coup.
6/8 Successes/2 Failures/0 Hard DC Available/1 Secondary Skills Available/0 Advantages Available/Primary Skill Training exhausted; Diplomacy, Insight, Religion, Bluff

 

[Grendel_Khan]

LIEF considers speaking up for Vorn, but even he realizes how presumptuous that would be. He focuses instead on Lady Markelhay, and this weasel of a man trying to advise her. Seekingstone keeps wringing his fingers, knotting and untangling them as though soothing his nerves. Why would he be nervous? Didn't someone at the Silver Unicorn blather on about the Loremaster's many dealings with adventures, and his normally pompous, untouchable manner.

Lief can't sort it out—his supposed man of letters inserting himself into this situation. To what end? How does any of this concern a scholar with inkstained fingers and...

There's a brown residue under Seekingstone's fingernails. Bizarre to see for a man of his station. But more than that: The tell-tale sign of a ritualist, and one whose materials go deeper and darker than simple chalk for scrawling symbols. The Loremaster is more than he claims.

Intent: Address (2), specifically sorting out why Seekingstone is involved in this situation at all.

Secondary Skill: Streetwise, r(8)-1 = 7 vs. Easy DC (9). Fail.

Primary Skill: Perception, r(19)+9-2 = 26 vs. Hard DC (21). Success.

---

Complexity 2 SC, Level 3 (DCs 9/13/21)
Goal: Having secured the safety of the merchants and ex-cultist boy as witnesses, along with the Sehanine priest Ressilmae who has heard their testimony in the bailey courtyard of Moonstone Keep, convince the Markelhays to act against Armos Kamroth and The Elect.
3/6 Successes/0 Failures/0 Hard DC Available/1 Secondary Skills Available/0 Advantages available due to Sehanine Priest Ressilmae Starlight/Primary Skill Training exhausted; Religion; Intimidate; Perception

---

Lief steps forward. "Lord Seekingstone, if I may, could you tell me" he switches seamlessly to the primordial tongue "did you know they were going to ask me to take your apprentice. Did you request he be disposed of?"

The Loremaster's face blanches, the panic of discovery contorting his features before he composes himself, managing a thin smile and mild comment to the lady. "Nonsense. He has the mind of a child, and a worse vocabulary."

But Lady Markelhay has torn herself from the tome, at least long enough to take in Seekingstone's fleeting terror. But does she speak the primordial tongue, too?

Intent: Confront Seekingstone, tricking him into revealing his sense of guilt.

Primary Skill: Insight, r(11)+6 = 17 vs. Medium DC (13). Success.

---

Complexity 1 SC, Level 3 (DCs 9/13)
Goal: Convince the Markelhays there is at least one Elect spy in their midst.
1/4 Successes/0 Failures/0 Hard DC Available/1 Secondary Skills available/0 Advantages available/Primary Skill Training exhausted; Insight

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Terjon moves out into the town, bringing two large guards with him whom he quickly selected as being known 'head breakers'. After contemplating for a moment he decides his best bet is Dick's Dive. He's fairly sure a certain number of 'toughs' will be hanging out there, despite the early hour. While normally he would hesitate to depend on such men, he thinks at least they will have some actual fighting ability.

Soon he arrives at The Dive, and sure enough there are a fair number hard-looking men lounging around the doors and inside. Terjon, with his men at his back, moves to enter. One of the toughs, incapable of allowing a challenge to pass, blocks his way. Terjon raises his hand to halt his men, and pulls out a roll of parchment, reading "By the order of Lord Protector of Winterhaven Sir Ernest Padraig all able bodied men are hereby commanded to assemble for muster!"

Terjon of course has no delusions about how this will be met, so he continues "I have a hard fist for any man who won't stand up for this place. You may care little about service or honor, but I'll see to it that every one of you cowards who won't pick up a weapon and fight now will be outside the wall fending for himself tomorrow. I may be hard, but I'm not half as bad as Blood Spear slave driver!"


Intimidate vs medium DC 13. Rolling a 10 +9=19. Success

The tough draws himself up, but he can see the steel in Terjon's eye. He spits to the side and slowly moves out of the way. Terjon enters and with his men rousts out the lurkers within. Altogether, along with a few other labourers, Terjon returns to the barracks with a good 2 dozen men.

"Listen up! You will all be paid, and there will be a bonus when we defeat the Cardinal's men! For now, get yourselves a meal, and we'll muster in the courtyard in an hour to fit everyone with gear and arms, then we'll drill. Any of you have drill experience?"

Terjon goes on in this vein, picks out a couple of men to act as sergeants, and generally gets things going. It's a bad militia but it may still be good enough!

Complexity 3 SC, Level 2 (DCs 9/13/20)
Goal (staged): Rouse the Padraig family from their grief and muster them (RESOLVED) and Winterhaven itself (8) against Cardinal Erban's heresy and impending coup.
7/8 Successes/2 Failures/0 Hard DC Available/1 Secondary Skills Available/0 Advantages Available/Primary Skill Training exhausted; Diplomacy, Insight, Religion, Bluff, Intimidate

 

[hawkeyefan]

Vorn listens as Lief and the Loremaster share words in some unfamiliar tongue. He notices that Lady Markelhay looks up briefly at the exchange. He looks at the Lady, trying to read her intent, and to see if what he has heard of her is true... that she is wise and just.

"My lady," Vorn says, "I may be a vigilante, but my cause has always been justice. Armos Kamroth is involved in dangerous and horrible acts. These good people were victims of such acts, and they can corroborate the story. Lief was witness to the crimes in full."

He pauses, but she just watches him intently. She's hard to read, but it seems perhaps she is open to his words.

He nods. "I will surrender myself to your men and face whatever justice you deem appropriate, if that will ensure that you listen to these charges. According to his men, Kamroth is on his way here now. I don't expect you will receive such cooperation from him. I ask only that you keep that in mind, my lady."

Vorn carefully removes each weapon he has and places them on the table. He then rises and moves to one of the guards, and places his hands before him, as if for menacles.

______________

Intent: To understand Lady Markelhay's view and to play toward that in an attempt to win some trust in this situation.

Secondary Skill: Insight vs. Easy DC 9: r(7) + 3 = 10. SUCCESS.

Primary Skill: Diplomacy vs. Medium DC 13: r(18) + 1 + 2 = 21. SUCCESS.
______________

Complexity 2 SC, Level 3 (DCs 9/13/21)
Goal: Having secured the safety of the merchants and ex-cultist boy as witnesses, along with the Sehanine priest Ressilmae who has heard their testimony in the bailey courtyard of Moonstone Keep, convince the Markelhays to act against Armos Kamroth and The Elect.
4/6 Successes/0 Failures/0 Hard DC Available/0 Secondary Skills Available/0 Advantages available due to Sehanine Priest Ressilmae Starlight/Primary Skill Training exhausted; Religion; Intimidate; Perception; Diplomacy

 

[Manbearcat]

STARN AND TERJON

Complexity 3 SC, Level 2 (DCs 9/13/20)
Goal (staged): Rouse the Padraig family from their grief and muster them (RESOLVED) and Winterhaven itself (8) against Cardinal Erban's heresy and impending coup.
7/8 Successes/2 Failures/0 Hard DC Available/1 Secondary Skills Available/0 Advantages Available/Primary Skill Training exhausted; Diplomacy, Insight, Religion, Bluff, Intimidate

-----------------------

Starn navigates the spiraling stone stair that snakes down the exterior wall of Valthrun's Tower, Korren's Rituals of the Orders of Pelor tucked safely in his free arm. From this perch, the highest point in the steading, he has quite a vantage. As he works his way around, the south gate of Winterhaven and far beyond comes into view.

He sees quite a sight.

Though Lord Ernest Padraig and his Regulars are not to be accounted for as of yet, Terjon has mustered a force of and they are outfitting hastily near that south gate. And good thing he has...

Beyond the gate...well beyond...working their way up the wide trail that ascends to the wooden palisades that surround the mountain redoubt...is Cardinal Erban's posse. But its more than a posse.

Cavalry ride behind a few formations of crossbowmen bearing standards. Behind the cavalry and artillery is the Cardinal himself with a guardian in full plate flanking him.

------------------------

MEDIUM DC. What do you do?

---

Complexity 2 SC, Level 3 (DCs 9/13/21)
Goal: Having secured the safety of the merchants and ex-cultist boy as witnesses, along with the Sehanine priest Ressilmae who has heard their testimony in the bailey courtyard of Moonstone Keep, convince the Markelhays to act against Armos Kamroth and The Elect.
4/6 Successes/0 Failures/0 Hard DC Available/0 Secondary Skills Available/0 Advantages available due to Sehanine Priest Ressilmae Starlight/Primary Skill Training exhausted; Religion; Intimidate; Perception; Diplomacy

and...

Complexity 1 SC, Level 3 (DCs 9/13)
Goal: Convince the Markelhays there is at least one Elect spy in their midst.
1/4 Successes/0 Failures/0 Hard DC Available/1 Secondary Skills available/0 Advantages available/Primary Skill Training exhausted; Insight

---------------

Lady Markelhay shuts her book abruptly, pushes her chair away from the table and stands. She waves off Vorn's gesture:

"There is no need for that. The simple fact that you are in the company of High Priest Ressilmae is all the vouching I need. I want you to tell me what you've seen on the estate's grounds in your many weeks, or months (The Rock questioning eyebrow), surveilling Armos Kamroth's holdings. Yes, I'm well aware it is one of your favored 'roosts.' You're not the only one in Fallcrest with a network of eyes and ears! (1)

After that, I want the room cleared of all but myself and Ressilmae. I'll hear from him directly in private.

My husband will be holding court with Armos Kamroth shortly, I'm certain. I'll have you ushered to those chambers.

But first..."

She turns with a bit of a dramatic flourish to Loremaster Seekingstone.

"You've been in our employ for years, dear. Your services were externally vetted, but I don't recall Primordial being on your resume. How fluent are you...exactly?"

Lorekeeper Seekingstone flushes, chuckles awkwardly and spits out a few words in the language. "Not very...I'm afraid...I'll take my leave now if it pleases my Lady. There is much left to do and dusk is nearly upon us."

He bows and moves to leave the room.

Lady Markelhay neither grants his leave nor protests it. (2)

---

Both are MEDIUM DC. If Leif engages with (2), he can make a move and a follow-on move assuming the first is a success.

 

[Grendel_Khan]

LIEF plays out a handful of potential scenarios. Him sputtering about Seekingstone's obvious terror, but making no new points. Tackling the old man and rifling his pockets in front of a mortified gathering. Worse things, painting the room with blood.

He settles on doing nothing. He's no predator in these hunting grounds. Lief bows his head to Lady Markelhay, then gives Vorn a meaningful look, eyes darting toward the Loremaster as the shifter leaves the room.

In the hall outside Lief offers halting assurances to the merchants and boy, but he's watching Seekingstone shuffle away. Mid-sentence he breaks from the witnesses, saying "Scream like an animal if you need me!" and prowls after the Loremaster.

The pursuit isn't easy. Whether out of paranoia or intuition, the old man takes a winding route, even doubling back at one point, forcing Lief to scramble, ridiculously, behind a curtain. The smell of the heavy fabric against his nose, the luxury oozing from this place like pus from a wound—Lief is nauseated. The Mogul had an answer for this corruption: Fire. He pictures slinking from room to gaudy room, setting curtains alight until the whole place burned, then he'd wait outside to down the flushed, fleeing prey—

Lief doesn't snap out of his reverie, or even realize how deeply the Elect's teachings have wound through his brain like an invisible stitch. He hears his quarry scraping away, and follows.

The shifter rounds a corner just in time to see a door in a dead-end hallway close. As he steps closer a lock engages. Lief waits a minute, then produces his lockpicks and sets to work. He feels the tumblers flowing into place. He smiles, fangs bared—

A clockwork ticking starts, vibrating the heavy wooden door. His lockpick grinds, then snaps with a high, metallic "PING!" Lief hears movement inside. He's tripped some sort of trap or alarm. The shifter leaves his broken pick in the lock and applies a small crowbar to the doorframe, screaming as he splits the wood around the lock.

The mangled door is finally open, any element of surprise long gone. Lief bursts in, no choice but to blunder straight into whatever the ritualist has prepared for him.


Intent: Shadow Loremaster Seekingstone to his room and gather physical evidence of his involvement with the Elect.

Primary Skill: Stealth. r(6)+12 = 18 vs. Medium DC (13). Success.

Primary Skill: Thievery with +2 from Thief's Tools. r(1)+5+2 = 8 vs. Medium DC (13). Fail.

---

Complexity 1 SC, Level 3 (DCs 9/13)
Goal: Convince the Markelhays there is at least one Elect spy in their midst.
2/4 Successes/1 Failures/0 Hard DC Available/1 Secondary Skills available/0 Advantages available/Primary Skill Training exhausted; Insight, Stealth, Thievery

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Starn and Vulthrun carry out their research through the night, focusing on doing something which will allow them to meet the challenge presented by the Cardinal in the immediate term. Kira, between requests to retrieve other texts, reads through the work on the initiation rituals of the Knights of Pelor. She seems rather engrossed in this, and in fact Starn begins to wonder if she's going to get around to finding that copy of 'Cults of Light' that he was wondering about. When he approaches her to ask about it, he sees that she's making detailed notes on an Arcane Ritual, once used by certain invokers, to wreathe their troops in the holy fire of the Sun itself. While the entire ritual is somewhat beyond the competency of either Kira or Starn, he sees that she's outlined a plan to take certain elements of it and reproduce it, with undoubtedly somewhat lesser effects.

Starn notes some elements where she might be having a bit of trouble, and asks if he can help. "Oh! I didn't see you there, no this is just some magical doodling I've been doing. Let me get back to work." She hustles off to fetch Starn's volume, with a promise of some tea, but Starn isn't fooled, this is serious work. He sits at her chair and begins to correct some of the ritual forms which he's had drilled into him for the last 10 years, seeing how her idea really does have merit.

As Kira returns, she tries to shoo Starn away and clean up her work area, but he stops her: "This could work. If I can complete the closed form of the sigils required to contain the mana in question so that the protective magic is potent, then you could imbue an entire formation of soldiers with a form of mental and physical protection. It might well be sufficient to make a critical difference when confronted by a strong enemy."

Starn completes the formulation of a ritual of protection mixing elements of the Endure Elements ritual he already has a formula for with the forms of the Holy Coat of the Sun. Arcana DC(13) Roll 20 + 13 = 33. Success!

Starn, Kira, and Vulthrun proceed to the South Gate of Winterhaven, where Terjon's troops have been marshalled. Manning the gatehouse itself are members of the Town Guard, who normally carry out gate security and other routine tasks. The three join Terjon and the others as they climb to the roof of the barbican/gatehouse. The men look nervous and some even prepared to flee if things start to look dangerous. Starn speaks with Terjon for a moment, and then announces in a loud voice "If you will all form up here, Vulthrun, Kira, and I will perform a ritual of protection and blessing."

Vulthrun continues "Draw up your men, Terjon, for I shall bring down the very blessing of the Holy Sun! Men, no fear will touch you, the very blades of your enemies shall shrink from you, such is the true blessing of Pelor! Kneel!" Terjon has in the meantime drawn up his ragtag 2 dozen fighters, and at least some of the Town Guard line up with them, and the ritual is carried out! "Holy Sun, shield us from the forces of Chaos! May we hold the light and protect the world from Primordial Darkness!"

The visible effect of the ritual embues the men with a kind of gleaming appearance. Much of the effect is psychic, they simply KNOW that they're blessed, and thus will hold fast, at least against any assault they could feasibly resist. When they are attacked the unit will withstand most attacks more robustly than usual.

Furthermore, word begins to spread that Pelor's Light has arisen to defend the settlement. Ernest Padraig soon arrives with another group of men of his own household. The people of Winterhaven seem caught up in the excitement. Many cheer him on, though there are always a few dour looks from certain quarters.

Complexity 3 SC, Level 2 (DCs 9/13/20)
Goal (staged): Rouse the Padraig family from their grief and muster them (RESOLVED) and Winterhaven itself (RESOLVED) against Cardinal Erban's heresy and impending coup.
8/8 Successes/2 Failures/0 Hard DC Available/1 Secondary Skills Available/0 Advantages Available/Primary Skill Training exhausted; Diplomacy, Insight, Religion, Bluff, Intimidate, Arcana