Session #9.2 - Amblin does Batman; Meeting with the Duke
Druk Var led the group through an unremarkable door at the end of the dark alley. It opened into a large, high-ceilinged warehouse. The building was empty aside from a couple foot thick layer of loose hay spread across the center of the floor. About twenty other monks of the Green Snake School stood around the perimeter of the building, lighting several torches and lanterns set in the walls. The only other noteworthy feature were the heavy ropes looped through pulleys on the ceiling.
Druk led Amblin and the others to the far end of the room and grabbed an odd-looking leather harness. "Basically," he began, "the Duel of the Bat works like this. Both of us will have our legs bound in one of these harnesses. Each harness will then be attached to three ropes looped through those pulleys up on the ceiling. Two of your friends will be positioned in the corners behind you and one will be centered against the far wall opposite the other two. All three will have an end of a rope.
"You and I will be suspended upside down. Our three helpers will control our movements, both side to side and up and down, through pulling in or releasing slack in the rope they hold. The contest ends when one of the two of us is knocked unconscious."
Amblin, Rurik, Zalman and Nigel quickly talked strategy. This was unlike anything they had ever done or even fathomed before. They decided to have Nigel man the far rope, as he was the strongest of the three holders. Zalman and Rurik each took one of the corners behind Amblin. They assumed that the monks of the Green Snake School had done this before and would therefore have a better grasp of rope strategy. Therefore, their own tactics were intended to minimize that advantage by trying to get Amblin's ropes wrapped around Druk's ropes.
Starting some 20' off the floor (35' ceiling in the warehouse), and about thirty feet from one another, the duel began. Both team's rope pullers started conservatively, getting a feel for how their pulling and releasing affected their combatant's location. (Druk, honorably, had selected three young monk initiates who had never done this before to make the contest more balanced.)
For some time, neither contestant could gain much advantage, or even land a very solid hit. A few weak swings as they went swooping wildly past one another was the best they could manage. The rope pullers moved them back and forth across the room, as well as trying to gain height advantages. When it became apparent to Amblin and his friends that it would be difficult to ever wrap Amblin's ropes around Druk's because of the angles involved, they instead worked on trying to get Amblin close enough to grab hold of Druk's "front" rope. This he accomplished, but a reactionary pull by both of Druk's rear pullers yanked the rope back out of Amblin's hands.
As the duel wore on, Amblin realized he was losing. He was likely more skilled and nimble than the half orc, but Druk was stronger and had landed a couple lucky shots on him. Eventually, the two got close enough together for just long enough to get entangled a bit. Both landed several blows, but Amblin finally succumbed to unconsciousness. The monks watching cheered both contestants for a well-fought duel. Rurik healed up Amblin while the ropes and harnesses were stowed away.
"Well fought, Amblin," Druk said as he clapped him on the back. "You're a worthy opponent and I wager one who'd win this type of a fight as often as not against me. Let's go have some drinks!"
With that, all the companions joined the monks at the Sprite's Crypt for several hours of drinking and conversation. They learned a bit more about the rise of the Red Cult (as the priests of the Church of the Small were generally referred to) in the wake of the waves of disease that had struck the city over the last few years. There was strong reason to believe that the diseases were magical in nature, but none of the local clergy were able to come up with a way to stop or combat it. The Red Cult had apparently stepped forward with a solution, but in exchange for some considerable concessions from the Duke. The Duke would decree that open worship or recruiting of converts to any religion other than that of the Church of the Small would be made illegal. Private worship was still tolerated, but divine magic forbidden. In exchange, the Church of the Small would provide the means by which to screen magic coming into and out of the city, as well as closely monitor its use within the city. This entailed granting them considerable power within the city guard as well.
When probed a bit further, Druk said that it didn't seem to anyone like the Duke was very happy with the arrangement. However, after repeated waves of disease, he was willing to do almost anything to put an end to it. Many people suspected that the Red Cult was actually the group behind the disease, but considerable investigation by the other churches into that very angle had yielded nothing. Now that the diseases had been stopped for just over a year, the people had become a bit more tolerant and forgiving of the Cult.
Wanting to be fresh and presentable for their audience with the Duke the following morning, the group said their farewells to Druk and the other monks. Druk gave Amblin directions to their dojo and invited him to stop by anytime to visit with his master. Amblin thanked him and with that they returned to their rooms at the Priest's Pole.
Night passed uneventfully and they ate a generous breakfast at the inn. Grabbing all their gear (not trusting to leave anything valuable unattended in the inn), they walked up the main avenue toward the keep. Just outside the gates of the keep stood an unusual structure, or object. Thrusting up out of the very ground was what appeared to be a massive column of rose quartz. Extending fully twenty feet up in the air and with a diameter of over ten feet, it was impressive. Most of its surface was uneven, comprised of countless crystal faces. On one side, however, was a flat and recessed area. It was perfectly rectangular, shaped like a doorway but lacking a handle. A few people were standing around it, chatting.
Curiousity getting the better of them, they stopped to ask the locals just what the thing was. One man explained that it was called Boonzang's Edifice. Supposedly, it had been around for a long time. Created by a wizard by the name of Boonzang, it was rumored to house treasures of inestimable value. Of course, no one seemed to be able to figure out how to get inside it. They thanked the man and decided that they would come back after their audience and have a closer look at the thing.
The group spoke with a guard at the keep’s gate and were allowed into the courtyard. They ascended the steps to the gate proper and another guard halted them. A messenger was sent inside and returned a minute later with a severely dressed female elf who radiated an aura of complete authority. She introduced herself as Chamberlain Avae Moonhope. She asked their names and purpose, seemingly cataloguing every fact in her mind. They explained who they were, where they were from, and their purpose. They also showed her the letter of introduction that Lord Durlock had given them. She raised an eyebrow a fraction of an inch (the biggest expression they’d seen from her yet) as she read the letter.
“Very well,” she said at last. “You may present yourselves to the Duke. However, I must insist that you attire yourselves in a manner more suitable to the court.” She cast a distasteful look over their bloodstained and battered clothing and armor. “I suppose we could find something suitable to lend you. Please follow me.”
She led them through several halls and finally arrived at a small room, empty aside from a table and a few chairs. “Please wait here. Servants will bring suitable clothing in a few minutes. I would ask that you leave your weaponry behind. I will have a guard posted at the door to watch over it while you are in court.” With that she left.
Minutes later, several servants arrived with clothing suitable to their sizes. They were unfamiliar with some of the styles, but eventually got things sorted out enough to be presentable. Rurik chose to wear his clerical vestments, regardless of the position of the Red Cult in the city. Amblin wore his displacer beast hide vest over a pair of pants he found among the pile.
The chamberlain returned a short while later and led them to Duke Gosswall’s court. It was a long rectangular room with many rows of unoccupied chairs down the length. Perhaps twenty or so minor nobles and petitioners sat in the first few rows. The Duke, a well built human of late middle age, sat upon a large oak chair on a slightly raised dias. On either side of him stood a minotaur dressed in chainmail, wearing the Duke’s emblem, and carrying a sheathed greatsword.
The minotaurs were clearly the most imposing figures in the room. What little most knew of them, they were reputed to be evil, wild, and inclined to stupidity. Zalman, who was well steeped in monster lore, also noted that their coloration was unusual. Most minotaurs, from what he’d read, had fur somewhere between red and brown in coloration. These two, though, were mostly grey with some streaks of black.
After a couple merchants wrapped up their business with the Duke, the Chamberlain indicated it was their turn. She led them before the Duke and introduced each by name and hometown. They bowed respectfully. Avae handed the letter of introduction over to Duke Gosswall who quickly read it. He quickly became much more interested in hearing what they had to say.
At his prodding, they told of their hometown and mission to find other cities with which to open trade. They glossed over some of their adventures en route, but were careful to steer clear of things such as Shadykin, Thrindlemond, and the prophecy. They did, however, mention the name of Kisty Goodbread as the citizen of Water Break who led them back this way. (This is a very critical point to note for events that will soon transpire.)
In the end, they concluded with their fight with the Shadow and his gang as well as their assistance in slaying the pair of giants. The Duke was intrigued and told them he would be interested in hearing more in private. He invited them to join him for lunch, which they accepted, and then he called an end to business for the day.
The Duke led the group through a side door and to a private dining room. Joining them was Baron Paul Murdain of Moon Hollow, the man for whom Lord Trebain Durlock worked. While they seated themselves about the table, the pair of minotaurs discreetly positioned themselves in corners of the room. Servants brought several courses of excellent food and they ate and drank with the Duke. Throughout the meal, both nobles pressed for more details of their stories, eager to hear tales of excitement and to learn the fate of other lands in the aftermath of the war.
When the meal was finished, the Duke spoke up. “Well, I’m afraid that there is little I could personally do the establish trade routes with New Selmar. What I can do for you, however, is give you a letter of introduction and recommend that you go to the Trader’s Guild. They have a building in the center of the exchange and many of the city’s merchants have offices there. I suspect you might be able to convince one of them that operating a caravan out to New Selmar might be worth a few coppers. In the meantime, if you need anything else from me, ask and I’ll see what I can do. I certainly appreciate you unsolicited help in dealing with the Shadow’s gang. A darn shame you couldn’t get that bastard himself.”
The group nodded in agreement. A servant was instructed to lead them back to get their gear. They also found that a small wood chest had been brought to their room with their reward money for both the slain gang members and for helping deal with the giants – some 800 gold in all. The chamberlain returned to their room just as they were finishing changing and presented them with a letter of introduction from the Duke. She led them back out of the keep and bade them good day.
With that bit of business done, they decided what to do next. They really only had a couple items on their agenda: inspect Boonzang’s Edifice, speak with some merchants about trade with New Selmar, and speak with the master of the Green Snake School to learn more about Amblin’s style. With Boonzang’s Edifice right in front of them, they decided to start with that.
They inspected the surface and found no discernable cracks. Zalman checked it with a Detect Magic and found it to be quite powerfully enchanted. A knowledgeable guard nearby was able to give them a little bit better history of the object, including the one clue that the old wizard left behind regarding how to get inside it: “The hint will reveal itself in the green-lit waters of the Emerald Spring.” He told them that the Emerald Spring was a revered place in the Blackwood Park, in the northeastern-most part of the city.
It wasn’t much to go by, but they thought they’d take a crack at it. The park wasn’t difficult to find, and it was just past a much wealthier part of the city. It was large and full of massive trees and dark, winding paths. They asked a few locals who were wandering the park where the spring was, and soon they were upon it. The Emerald Spring was a natural spring-fed pool with incredibly clear water. The stones in the bottom were mostly grays and whites, though streaks of green cut through some of the stone, giving the spring its name. The spring was surrounded by trees on three sides and on the fourth was a small waterfall that fell down a small cliff to the rocky shore of the Bay of Thunder.
It was a serene place. It also yielded no clues as to how to open the Edifice. They looked above and below it. Hooty scanned from the air for anything unusual. Zalman tried to Detect Magic again (nothing). They checked the falls, the trees, the stones. Nothing. Finally, they were running out of steam. As they went over the clue again, they thought that perhaps if they could illuminate the waters with a green light they might get somewhere. They decided to make a foray into the merchant district that afternoon to find some very sheer green fabric that they could hold over a torch or lantern. With that, they left.
Back in the city proper, they went downtown. Amblin was commissioned the copying of a map of the region between New Selmar (or Selmar as it was on the mapmaker’s old version) and Water Break. After that, Rurik went into a tailor’s shop to see what they had in the way of green fabric. While he was busy doing that, an attractive girl in her late teens approached Amblin who was standing around outside the shop with Nigel. Something in Amblin’s manner of dress and posture had caught her attention, and she didn’t come across as the shy type.
She struck up a conversation and managed to introduce both herself (Marina Opal) and her friend (Svala Sennering) to Amblin and Nigel. After a few minutes, Marina asked if the two of them would be interested in joining them that night at a private affair. Amblin eagerly accepted and Nigel half-heartedly agreed. The girls, while attractive, must have struck him as being a bit too cute and a bit too human for his tastes. She gave them directions and a password to get into the club and told them to meet them inside sometime after ten o’clock that night.
Once the girls had parted ways, Amblin and Nigel took advantage of the tailors whose shop Rurik was inside. They both selected fashionable yet somewhat conservative attire and had it fitted for them. Rurik, meanwhile, had a small selection of different green fabrics and was ready to depart.
The group returned once more to the Emerald Spring and tried a few different ways of shining light through green fabrics. Still, no clues revealed themselves. They considered the possibility that they might have to try at nighttime. With evening fast approaching and Amblin and Nigel still in need of dinner and a return to the tailor to pick up their clothes, they finally gave up on the riddle for the night.
Rurik and Zalman decided to have a nice dinner at the inn and retire to their room to get caught up on studies, annotating spellbooks, and quiet meditation. Amblin and Nigel both grabbed a quick dinner, got suited up in some new duds, and went off to party with the young ladies.
Oh how the evening would unravel…
Next session: Amblin loses two things, a Lady spots Nigel, Zalman meets the family, and Rurik just plain has a rotten night.
-Rybaer
Just about every time somebody departs from the group and engages in combat dies. 
