(Adventure) A Merry Chase *Judge: Uriel

[Kahuna Burger]

In the courtyard of the Red Dragon is a fine coach with a full team of strong horses. It is large enough to sit at least six people comfortably, and the thick brocaded curtains block out the world both sight and sound. A young half elf is perched on the driver's bench and from the way the elven courtier speaks and signals to him you gather he must be either deaf or slow.

Once inside the coach it is almost impossible to tell how fast its moving due to the fine construction. Settling into a bench facing the others who have come, Ronan smiles and offers some wine for the journey. "Well, we can all talk comfortably now. I greatly appriciate your trust in coming this far with me on such vague premises. I can now explain your task in much more concrete terms, but first perhaps you could each introduce yourself and tell me and each other what skills you bring to this venture."

 

[Creamsteak]

(Did you get this adventure OK'd with any judges? I havn't seen anything about it in my personal email.)

 

[Thels]

OOC: Uhm, should we wait for anything to be cleared up?

OOC2: Also, we don't have a cleric in our midst, but we should be okay at healing with Zoe's Lay on Hands ability and Wand of Cure Light Wounds.

 

[Velmont]

OOC: Personnally, I will wait to be sure that this adventure is approved. For healing, I have 2 potion of CLW, in case Zoe is the one who come down.

 

[Manzanita]

Cool - Think how quickly this little adventure could run with just three PCs, all good posters. I'm psyched. I like how flexible LEW can be.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

(Did you get this adventure OK'd with any judges? I havn't seen anything about it in my personal email.)

I emailed the LEW judge account with the proposal, under the titel "third times a charm" I believe. I'm sure my lack of patience will be my undoing, but there you have it...

 

[Kahuna Burger]

OOC: I'll be leaving this evening on a weekend trip, and don't know my internet access while I'm gone. So I'm going to get the ball rolling now and by the time I'm posting enough for anything judgeworthy to happen, someone will hopefully be watching the adventure.

After a glass of wine to relax himself, Ronan leans forward to the others and says bluntly. "You're going to kidnap the princess."

After giving a half a beat to see the look on your faces he laughs and continues "Or rather, that is what it must appear to all who are not privy to this arrangement... which is almost all who you will encounter." He leans back and steeples his fingers. "His Majesty has been negotiating an alliance with the city state of Andren for some time now. As part of the arrangements, the young princess Theila is to be fostered with Andren and perhaps eventually married to one of its princes. Obviously we have done our best to keep the precise details of the Princess's journey secret, but Earling has many enemies, both internal and external, not to mention petty brigands who would love to ransom her back to us at a dear price. Many plans have been suggested to distract attention from her real journey and get her safely to Andren, up to and including disguising the child as a halfling and sending her out with a group of rat catchers..." He rolls his eyes and an unmistakable memory of a long argument crosses his face. "But clearly, if people believe the princess is on route to Andren, they will try to take her. So you are going to convince everyone that she has already been taken. We should arrive at the outskirts of Earling territory a day before the decoy carriage departs. I have brought matching cloaks to make you look like a part of some political fringe group, though perhaps you could help me write a letter for you to leave listing your demands... you need to believe in something that makes you less willing to kill her guards outright... Oh yes, that reminds me!"

Leaning down the courtier pulls a chest out from under one of the carriage seats and opens it. Inside are five reversable cloaks with a symbol of a sword plunged through a circle on one side. Under them is a cache of various weapons of fine make, including swords, a couple of crossbows and for some reason a trident and net. From a compartment in the lid, Ronan takes five rings and distributes them among the companions. "I wasn't sure how many would come, so I brought as many of these as could be 'lost' without comment." The rings are imprinted with crossed swords and a motto in an achaic version of common reading for honor we fight, for amusement we die. "Wear it on the hand you hold your weapon with, and your blows will take strength but not life from your opponents."

"This is very important." He fixes each of you with a steely gaze. "The men who gaurd the decoy princess, and those who come after you trying to recover her are loyal servants of Earling. They cannot be told the truth of your purpose, because with too many people informed the ruse would quickly become useless. They will be under orders to capture, not kill you. And you are under a trust to avoid their deaths as well. Better that you are temporarily captured than that you slay your unknowing allies. If any soldier dies in combat with you, his death benefits to his family will be subtracted from your payment." He smiles and adds, "Though by the same token it is likely that you will be pursued by many criminals hoping to take the princess for their own ends. Deal with them as you see fit, and if any are killed by your hands or captured by Earling forces in the wake of their encounter with you, the bounty upon their heads will be added to your payment and you may have their effects to do with as you choose."

"So, I hope I have provided details enough that my earlier words make sense. You will capture a princess and lead her saviors, both noble and dark, on a merry chase for two weeks. If you have maintained the ruse that long, you will bring her back to Earling, either to 'ransom' her or by surrendering to the guards; and you will be paid, thanked and returned to the inn. Do we have an agreement?"

 

[Velmont]

Rinaldo is pensive for a moment.

"If I understand, you want us to kidnap a false princess while the true one will be travelling out of sight to Andren.

The cause is noble, but I have one reserve in front of this job. You want us to become criminals for two weeks. Not only we will be outlaw, but hunted. First, I want to be sure the king will reveale the subterfuge after the two weeks, so me and my friends will be cleaned of all criminal acts we would have done during the two weeks, and I mean not only the kidnapping, but all illegal acts that we may be forced to do for our own survival. I'm thinking, by exemple, should an accident happen in a fight against the guard and one of the guards is killed, I don't what to be consider a murderer for the remaining of my life."

Rinaldo become silent another moment, and start to speak again

"Well, for the letter, I can write it. I have a good idea what to write on it. To reduce the chance to have more hostile enemy in that case, we will try to have it on our side. To accomplish that feat, we simply need to let's them think they may still get the hand on the princess.

We will do an auction on the princess head!

The letter will tell we will give back the princess to the party who is willing to offer the greatest reward. As a proof the princess is safe in our hands, we will let the guards alive. After all, we will not be a group of murderer, just some robber and kidnapper who want enough money to retire. The bids will take some time to be receive, so we have a good reason to wait two weeks before choosing the winner, and surely, the one who would have given the best bid is Earling. I suggest you give to your king the advice to bid high on the head of the princess, but you will start at an average amount, thinking we are just low bandits and we could be satisfied by a small amount of money. As time pass, you will receive some letters telling the bids are getting higher, and you will be ready to give more money.

The only problem, it is where we will set the place to receive the bid of everyone. The bids need some privacy, somewhere where outlaws would be safe to go without fearing the authorities, somewhere we would be safe too, from any thugs to attack us, but I don't know enough the kingdom or Earling for that.

What do you think of that?"

 

[Kahuna Burger]

" First, I want to be sure the king will reveale the subterfuge after the two weeks, so me and my friends will be cleaned of all criminal acts we would have done during the two weeks, and I mean not only the kidnapping, but all illegal acts that we may be forced to do for our own survival. I'm thinking, by exemple, should an accident happen in a fight against the guard and one of the guards is killed, I don't what to be consider a murderer for the remaining of my life."

"Without a doubt, my lord..." the elf rummages in the chest a bit more and produces a document with a royal seal on the bottom. "If we are agreed, I can add your names to the king's decree. You will need to show it to the 'princess' as soon as you can do so without revealing yourselves so that she will know she is in the right hands, though your rings and cloaks will give her some comfort. I assure you, once the true princess is safely in her new home, we will waste no time clearing your names - afterall, it is a loss of face for the royal family for a kidnapping to occur at all, and in His Majesty's best political interests that all know he was not 'truely' defeated."

"The 'princess' may be of aid to you in your other questions... she is an earling native and can help you choose useful rendesvous points..." he pauses a moment. "As I meantioned before, there will be financial consequences for the death of any servant of the kingdom, but as long as you make your best effort to avoid it, there are no legal consequences to be feared."

 

[Manzanita]

Persephone

OOC: Hey - this sounds like a very cool adventure!

"Wow. I like this. Hanging out with a princess and all. I'm a princess myself, actually, or...oops, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone that." Her voice drops to a whisper, and she spreads her fingers for emphasis, "Just forget I said that." She resumes normal conversation. "I can put people to sleep, too." She blushes slightly. "Magically, that is. So we can take care of some guards and pursuers that way. Now there a few things I don't understand. One, are we kidnapping the REAL princess? Or are you not going to tell us that? Next, do you have any suggestions as to what we should do for two weeks? A provision-stocked cave to hang out in? Are we supposed to wander the roads in our carriage for all that time?"