Against the Shadows VII - A Faded Glory Story Hour (Re-Updated - 5/17)

[Old One]

Rowan's Journal...

Greetings All,

Again, from the player's perspective...Rowan this time.

Numb. Unsure what to feel, think. Something isn't right, but I don't
know what or why. Everything seems dreamlike.

We got into the Shadowblades' hideout easily. Too easy. According to
the reds we should have encountered between 2 and 3 score opposition.
We barely found any and of those only the pit fighter and the mage
gave us any trouble. I'm not even sure the mage is really Maythrax.
We've never had anyone confirm his appearance so we're guessing that
the mage we've captured, the one we've been chasing, is indeed
Maythrax.

Why wasn't Drusilla bound when we found her? How did she manage to
get a dagger and get the drop on the mage? Admittedly she's
resourceful, but from the horror stories the reds told us, she was
likely to have been in dire straights when we got there, but while in
need of a good bath like the rest of us, she appears on the surface
to be unharmed.

Too many questions, too few answers. We came here to learn about "R",
the cult of Ashai, my sword, and we've come away learning only how to
bleed and feel pain.

Things are moving fast and we need to get clear of the sewers and on
our way out of Oar. It is time to head back to Glynden and to look
after our own.

Enjoy!

~ Old One

 

[Rel]

VERY neat to see things from the players' perspective.

My heart goes out to Sextus about the burning of the library. Especially in the context of the Faded Glory setting, the loss of that many books is a tragedy.

For those who are interested, it looks as though we will be resuming my own version of Faded Glory in about two weeks. Story Hour will follow somewhat after that.

 

[Old One]

Session 21 (Part One)

Heroes or Scapegoats?

Their dory was quickly taken in tow by one of the cutters and they could do little but sit and stew as the larger vessel maneuvered back to the quay. The other two cutters trailed behind, tacking in unison in the light night breeze; their bow ballistae trained on the party. Upon landing, a contingent of Merchant Council guards quickly divested them of their obvious weapons.

A young guard commander with a pockmarked face and broken tooth growled, “Yer wanted up on the hill. Show yer respect an’ give us no trouble and all will be well.”

Looks were exchanged, but the party complied. Many furtive glances and whispers where directed at Cragen and the dwarf self-consciously pulled his heavy cloak close about him and raised his hood. Several guards hefted the moaning form of Maythrax and the cavalcade departed the docks and trudged along the main thoroughfare towards the Merchant’s Palace, which crowned a hill commanding the entire city. Despite the late hour, small throngs of curious townfolk began to gather.

The seat of the Merchant’s Counsel was much less imposing on closer inspection. Grass threatened to devour much of the pavement and rampant ivy swarmed unchecked over the edifice. The plaster on the façade was shot through with a multitude of cracks and many of the gargoyles guarding the roof where chipped and faceless.

“Just like the rest of Oar,” groused Sextus, “old and rotten.”

They were quickly passed through the gate guard and onto the portico. A major domo met them there and wrinkled his nose at their appearance and stench.

“Tsk…this just won’t do,” he whined in a nasally voice.

He eyed each one in turn, clucking to himself all the while.

“Sub-commander Justius, take them to the third antechamber and set up a screen for the young lady. I will be there forthwith!”

He twirled with a flourish of his toga and disappeared into building. The guard glowered after him, then turned on the party.

“You ‘eard the man! This way.”

They moved down the portico, through a small door and into a room crowded with a mismatch of furniture. Sub-commander Justius barked an order and two of the escort wrestled a gaudily painted screen from one corner and blocked off a portion of the room. A concealed door opposite the one they entered burst open and the major domo floated in, followed by numerous servants bearing vats of steaming water and bundles of clothing.

“Quickly now…you are expected posthaste,” he wheezed, clapping his hands and snapping his fingers. “Out of those awful garments, splash off the worst of the grime and get into these clothes.”

He glanced at Rosë’s towering form and mumbled to himself, “I should have brought more perfume.”

Most of their escort withdrew, taking the still unconscious Maythrax with them. Within ten turns of the minute glass, the major domo was hustling them through the concealed door into a broad hallway.

“Garn, this be ridiculous…I nae wear a dress to a dinner party,” complained Cragen as his tunic’s hem brushed his ankles. Rosë grunted in agreement. His covering, made for a much shorter man, threatened to reveal more than his muscular thighs.

Flanked by guards, they passed through a set of ornately carved doors and into a large banquet hall. A hush fell over the gathered finest of Oar as the party, Valyria and the four “Reds” where shooed in. The major domo led them through the dining tables and stopped before a large table at the center of the room on a slightly raised dais.

The grating voice rose to a falsetto.

“Master Merchants of Oar and notable guests,” he paused for dramatic effect, “the miscreants you demanded have been delivered to you for justice!”

He genuflected and smoothly slid to the side. Quintus had been busy studying the head table while the annoying major domo droned on. He recognized several on the Merchant’s Council and made educated guesses as to the identity of several more. His eyes lingered for a moment on the broad-shouldered, steel haired man near the center of the table. His silver toga, emblazoned with a black, double-headed eagle, pronounced him as the Emorian ambassador. The man met his gaze with an unblinking stare that communicated power and interest. The ghost of an amused smirk flitted across the man’s lips and was gone.

A hunched figure next to the Emorian legate was busy studying the remains of his dinner. He pushed up from the table with withered hands and stood unsteadily. He looked up and regarded the party through watery eyes. A collective gasp rippled through the party. The man’s face was identical to the mage they had recently captured. A thousand thoughts raced through the sorcerer’s mind in the space of a single grain, only to be displaced by one word.

‘Sh*t!’

Antoinine Sestius, his voice dripping with malice, intoned, “Whatever do we have here…”

To Be Continued…

Next: Session 21 (Part Two) - Hangman’s Noose?

 

[Old One]

Great News!

VERY neat to see things from the players' perspective.

My heart goes out to Sextus about the burning of the library. Especially in the context of the Faded Glory setting, the loss of that many books is a tragedy.

For those who are interested, it looks as though we will be resuming my own version of Faded Glory in about two weeks. Story Hour will follow somewhat after that.

Rel,

Glad to hear your are starting back up again. How are things going on the post-Isabel homefront? I the "One-Shots" thread and immediately thought of your crew and Ted in particular...definitely one of the most enjoyable one-shots I have ever played in. Are you going to be expanding your group or staying small?

Back to the comments at hand...

The repository (about 3 dozen tomes and scrolls) might have held much knowledge...or it could have just been a bunch of torture-guides ! Too bad they will never find out !

Thanks for stopping by,

~ Old One

 

[Rel]

Rel,

Glad to hear your are starting back up again. How are things going on the post-Isabel homefront? I the "One-Shots" thread and immediately thought of your crew and Ted in particular...definitely one of the most enjoyable one-shots I have ever played in. Are you going to be expanding your group or staying small?

Back to the comments at hand...

The repository (about 3 dozen tomes and scrolls) might have held much knowledge...or it could have just been a bunch of torture-guides ! Too bad they will never find out !

Thanks for stopping by,

~ Old One

We're pretty well recovered from the storm. The guys came over weekend before last and we got the tree off of my house, managing to injure nobody with the chainsaw in the process. I still have a ton of smaller sticks and branches all over my yard, but, if you recall, I essentially live in the woods anyway so that's to be expected.

I agree about how fun the Return to the Dungeons of the Slave Lords game was. I actually went back and re-read a bunch of it after I posted that. It brought a smile to my face thinking back on it, especially the parts about Blodgett, played by Ted.

Our gaming group is expanding a bit. It sounds as though we'll have at least four players this time, including Speaks and Raven's players (Raven's player will continue to play Lazarius who came in at the tail end of the previous campaign). It sounds as though our other two players will play a Brigante Totem Warrior and a member of the Imperial Explorers Society respectively. They will be heading to the Black Peaks in search of The City of Endless Summer. Should be fun.

There's still no word on whether Ted's girlfriend will be joining us or not.

As for the library that got burned, those sorts of things are always tough to adjudicate for me as a DM. I try to make the contents more interesting than "a bunch of stuff that's not very interesting and some back issues of Play Elf" but giving a complete rundown of names of books and thier contents is rather tough and sometimes doesn't seem worth the effort. Especially if some barbarian is just going to set fire to the whole thing. I did get a nifty little online program from Creative Mountain Games for playing Whispering Woodwind at the first NC Game Day that generates random names for books in a fantasy setting and that would make the job a good bit easier.

This latest update is great but also makes me cringe a bit. It's precisely the sort of rat-bastardly thing I've done to my players countless numbers of times. But, having primarily been in the player's chair for the last year, it also is the kind of thing that makes you throw up your hands in despair. Like, "Just for ONCE couldn't we kill the bad guys and then have the local lord pat us on the back and say 'Good job! Now help yourselves to a hot bath and fluffy towels!'"

But what fun would that be?

(I guess they at least got the hot bath part)

 

[Broccli_Head]

. Like, "Just for ONCE couldn't we kill the bad guys and then have the local lord pat us on the back and say 'Good job! Now help yourselves to a hot bath and fluffy towels!'"

But what fun would that be?

(I guess they at least got the hot bath part)

I agree.

Can't wait to see how Quintus and the gang talk their way out of this conundrum.

 

[Lela]

Dang, right back into the masterful political mastermind that is Old One. Though I expected a trial (or at least a sentencing) in that update I didn't see the scum of a mage coming at all. Brilliant.

Oh, and Rel, what would it take to get a copy of that program? Assuming its small enough for transfer and it's legal for you to share.

 

[Darklone]

Right from the sewers into an even dirtier mess...

Old One, I stole your pitfighter (as well as a nice pit right behind the entrance door) for my last session... You can probably imagine the success!
Right now he's down in the negatives, but Die Hard will allow a nice unexpected return...

Rel, nice to hear your group is doing fine.

 

[Rel]

Oh, and Rel, what would it take to get a copy of that program? Assuming its small enough for transfer and it's legal for you to share.

Lela, I'm not sure if it's "freeware" or not. Check out the Creative Mountain website (linked in the ubiquitous posts by Mark, especially in any of the Game Day threads). It may be available for cheap or free on their website.

And, BTW, it sounds as though Ted's girlfriend is going to pass on our next campaign, though she'll continue to participate in our RttToEE campaign that we run once a month or so. BUT, an Air Force buddy of ours just got home from Iraq and he may try to join up to game with us if his schedule permits. So we may be adding a 5th player anyway.

 

[Darklone]

Will be interesting to see if the group goes again for a rather sneaky approach....

But I don't think so