the Jester
Legend
“What do we do now?” wonders Dahlia.
“We have to tell Sir Harth what we found,” opines Goer. “Sir Galadon must be the traitor.”
Our heroes are on a dark street in the middle of the night some blocks away from Sir Galadon’s house. They are walking in the general direction of the “I was so sure it was Harth,” laments the hermit woman. She sighs.
“I don’t know,” says Kyle. “It seemed almost too easy. Sir Harth’s place was guarded...”
“I found nothing within Sir Harth’s domicile,” Otis reminds him.
“Crush traitor!” suggests Me.
“I just don’t know if I buy it,” Kyle says. “It seems too easy somehow.”
“Easy!” Goer is bemused.
Filled with misgivings, our heroes decide to head to the citadel immediately. Due to the party, there are still people up, including the baron, Sir Galadon and Sir Harth. Jorgen declares that the party is very close to an answer as to who the traitor is. As they converse, Dahlia (who is staring intently at Sir Harth) tugs her right earlobe.
Worse yet, a ransom note has come:
Cedric,
I believe that I have something (or someone, ha ha) that you want, and I know that you have something (well, someone again- imagine that!) that I want. I suggest an exchange before I am forced to remove her pretty little tongue from her sweet mouth and still that lovely voice forever.
I am afraid that my schedule precludes my meeting with you for the next few days, but I trust that you will keep your schedule free for me three days hence. In the early part of the morning, just after the sun rises, you will come to meet me where we tried to make the exchange before. Do not attempt anything foolish or your beautiful wife will suffer for your arrogance. Bring the elf and his book. If you attempt treachery, Cara will pay for it.
Sir Cedric looks grim. He passes the note around. “Three dayth henth ith altho when we ekthpect the Tydonian thcum to reach uth, ith it not?”
“Clearly, this is an attempt to divide our forces.” Jorgen looks unhappy.
“We mutht theek out the mithcreantth before then,” Sir Cedric commands. “We mutht not play into their handth.”
Sir Harth shortly excuses himself and then hurries to escort the party out onto a balcony where they can talk. Dahlia relates what they have found so far and Sir Harth nods gravely.
“We will send men to investigate this evidence at once,” he declares. “He is politically very powerful, so we will have to be careful.”
“I guess we’ll talk again in the morning.” The party departs, wondering whether they have found their traitor.
“Could the evidence have been planted?” wonders Kyle.
“Sir Harth didn’t know when we were going to be coming to the party,” Jorgen points out. “How could he have gotten the evidence planted in the time it took us to get over there?”
“The basement did look like a lot of stuff had just been shoved out of the way,” Dahlia recalls.
It is very late. Our heroes retire, sleeping until early morning, whence they all rise and go to court in the citadel. To their surprise, Sir Galadon is still behind the baron, but Sir Harth gives the party a smile and a pleasant nod.
“We think we have found our traitor,” says Sir Galadon without preamble. “I regret to say that it is Colder.”
“Colder!” exclaims Dahlia.
“Colder traitor?” asks Me.
“I’m afraid so,” Sir Galadon replies. “I found him, last night, planting evidence at my home. I think he may have committed a terrible crime there.”
“My goodness!” Dahlia groans. That fool! He should have come with us!
“We shall judge the evidence against him in time,” Sir Harth says smoothly.
“May we see him?”
“Certainly.”
Sir Harth summons a jailer and the party is escorted to Colder’s cell. Their erstwhile companion almost collapses with joy when he sees them. “Mangle dangle, get me out of here!”* he implores them.
“You’re going to have to stay tough for a little while longer,” Kyle tells him.
“What!”
“You’re doing fine. We’re working on it. Don’t worry!”
“Oh man, mangle dangle!”
When they come out, there is a commotion in court. They hurry back- and find that Sir Galadon has been arrested. “It must have been a nest of traitors!” declares the baron resonantly. Sir Harth’s face is neutral.
Our heroes depart the citadel. The sun is now high in the sky. There are soldiers throughout the town, men-at-arms called in from the entire barony to defend Kamenda City. Knights ride through the streets in groups, waiting for the moment in which they will ride against the Tydonians.
“We could try bloodhoundth,” suggests Sir Cedric. The party returns to the citadel to see if they can borrow some from the baron. He graciously accedes to their request. Unfortunately, when they reach the cemetery, the bloodhounds seem unable to follow the scent more than a short distance.
”Remember, she could sprout wings,” Jorgen says. “Maybe she flew out of here.”
“With Cara?”
Jorgen shrugs. “Who can say?” he asks rhetorically. “It’s possible.”
“She could also move instantly across a distance,” Otis reminds him.
“Do you think it’s possible that she could have planted the evidence?” the sheriff wonders.
“The blood was fresh,” Kyle remembers. “I’m telling you, it was too easy. His house wasn’t even guarded- the front door was locked, but that was it. And he’s got some evil altar in his basement? Don’t you think he’d have at least kept a guard up or something?”
“We thould thearch around the graveyard. There are cryptth nearby that we could invethtigate.” Sir Cedric leads our heroes in a search.
Almost immediately they find their enemy.
Next Time: The rescue of Cara!
*“Mangle dangle” is my best interpretation of a certain speech element that comes out of Colder in times of stress. Like Boomhauer.
“We have to tell Sir Harth what we found,” opines Goer. “Sir Galadon must be the traitor.”
Our heroes are on a dark street in the middle of the night some blocks away from Sir Galadon’s house. They are walking in the general direction of the “I was so sure it was Harth,” laments the hermit woman. She sighs.
“I don’t know,” says Kyle. “It seemed almost too easy. Sir Harth’s place was guarded...”
“I found nothing within Sir Harth’s domicile,” Otis reminds him.
“Crush traitor!” suggests Me.
“I just don’t know if I buy it,” Kyle says. “It seems too easy somehow.”
“Easy!” Goer is bemused.
Filled with misgivings, our heroes decide to head to the citadel immediately. Due to the party, there are still people up, including the baron, Sir Galadon and Sir Harth. Jorgen declares that the party is very close to an answer as to who the traitor is. As they converse, Dahlia (who is staring intently at Sir Harth) tugs her right earlobe.
Worse yet, a ransom note has come:
Cedric,
I believe that I have something (or someone, ha ha) that you want, and I know that you have something (well, someone again- imagine that!) that I want. I suggest an exchange before I am forced to remove her pretty little tongue from her sweet mouth and still that lovely voice forever.
I am afraid that my schedule precludes my meeting with you for the next few days, but I trust that you will keep your schedule free for me three days hence. In the early part of the morning, just after the sun rises, you will come to meet me where we tried to make the exchange before. Do not attempt anything foolish or your beautiful wife will suffer for your arrogance. Bring the elf and his book. If you attempt treachery, Cara will pay for it.
Sir Cedric looks grim. He passes the note around. “Three dayth henth ith altho when we ekthpect the Tydonian thcum to reach uth, ith it not?”
“Clearly, this is an attempt to divide our forces.” Jorgen looks unhappy.
“We mutht theek out the mithcreantth before then,” Sir Cedric commands. “We mutht not play into their handth.”
Sir Harth shortly excuses himself and then hurries to escort the party out onto a balcony where they can talk. Dahlia relates what they have found so far and Sir Harth nods gravely.
“We will send men to investigate this evidence at once,” he declares. “He is politically very powerful, so we will have to be careful.”
“I guess we’ll talk again in the morning.” The party departs, wondering whether they have found their traitor.
“Could the evidence have been planted?” wonders Kyle.
“Sir Harth didn’t know when we were going to be coming to the party,” Jorgen points out. “How could he have gotten the evidence planted in the time it took us to get over there?”
“The basement did look like a lot of stuff had just been shoved out of the way,” Dahlia recalls.
It is very late. Our heroes retire, sleeping until early morning, whence they all rise and go to court in the citadel. To their surprise, Sir Galadon is still behind the baron, but Sir Harth gives the party a smile and a pleasant nod.
“We think we have found our traitor,” says Sir Galadon without preamble. “I regret to say that it is Colder.”
“Colder!” exclaims Dahlia.
“Colder traitor?” asks Me.
“I’m afraid so,” Sir Galadon replies. “I found him, last night, planting evidence at my home. I think he may have committed a terrible crime there.”
“My goodness!” Dahlia groans. That fool! He should have come with us!
“We shall judge the evidence against him in time,” Sir Harth says smoothly.
“May we see him?”
“Certainly.”
Sir Harth summons a jailer and the party is escorted to Colder’s cell. Their erstwhile companion almost collapses with joy when he sees them. “Mangle dangle, get me out of here!”* he implores them.
“You’re going to have to stay tough for a little while longer,” Kyle tells him.
“What!”
“You’re doing fine. We’re working on it. Don’t worry!”
“Oh man, mangle dangle!”
When they come out, there is a commotion in court. They hurry back- and find that Sir Galadon has been arrested. “It must have been a nest of traitors!” declares the baron resonantly. Sir Harth’s face is neutral.
Our heroes depart the citadel. The sun is now high in the sky. There are soldiers throughout the town, men-at-arms called in from the entire barony to defend Kamenda City. Knights ride through the streets in groups, waiting for the moment in which they will ride against the Tydonians.
“We could try bloodhoundth,” suggests Sir Cedric. The party returns to the citadel to see if they can borrow some from the baron. He graciously accedes to their request. Unfortunately, when they reach the cemetery, the bloodhounds seem unable to follow the scent more than a short distance.
”Remember, she could sprout wings,” Jorgen says. “Maybe she flew out of here.”
“With Cara?”
Jorgen shrugs. “Who can say?” he asks rhetorically. “It’s possible.”
“She could also move instantly across a distance,” Otis reminds him.
“Do you think it’s possible that she could have planted the evidence?” the sheriff wonders.
“The blood was fresh,” Kyle remembers. “I’m telling you, it was too easy. His house wasn’t even guarded- the front door was locked, but that was it. And he’s got some evil altar in his basement? Don’t you think he’d have at least kept a guard up or something?”
“We thould thearch around the graveyard. There are cryptth nearby that we could invethtigate.” Sir Cedric leads our heroes in a search.
Almost immediately they find their enemy.
Next Time: The rescue of Cara!
*“Mangle dangle” is my best interpretation of a certain speech element that comes out of Colder in times of stress. Like Boomhauer.
We'll see what a big fat group discussion brings when the time comes, but I don't think much of the alternate rule set will be 'ported over' into the main campaigns- although when next I advance the campaign's timeline, there may be more bleedover. We'll see.
